Are doctors cutting back on opioids too much and too quickly?

Question: I suffer from a rare and very painful genetic disorder. For a decade, my family physician has prescribed opioid drugs to me to ease the pain. But he recently retired and I had to find another doctor. Now my new doctor refuses to prescribe me the same dose of opioids to keep my pain in check. He says if I’m not satisfied with the care he’s providing, I should find another doctor. I live in a rural Ontario community and that’s not easy. My pain is intolerable. What am I supposed to do?

Answer: You appear to be among the growing number of patients who’ve had their prescriptions inappropriately cut back in what some experts are calling an overreaction to the opioid epidemic.

Simply put, all the public attention on the misuse of opioids has made many family doctors reluctant to prescribe them even when they might benefit patients.

However, it’s also true that they can be problematic when taken for prolonged periods because many patients develop tolerance to opioids.

That means they need higher and higher doses to get pain relief. The higher doses, in turn, increase the risk of side effects and harm.

To make matters worse, it’s very common for patients to become physically dependent on opioids. If the drug is stopped abruptly, or the dose is reduced by even a little bit, patients can suffer extremely unpleasant withdrawal symptoms—including increased pain.

Yet for many years, doctors liberally prescribed opioids, partly because they believed the unsubstantiated marketing hype of drug companies that claimed opioids are a safe and effective therapy for chronic pain.

The rising Canadian death toll from overdoses—which hit an estimated 4,000 in 2017, from both prescribed and illicitly manufactured drugs—has shown that opioids pose far more risks than once thought.

Efforts are now underway to curb the use of these medications. Last year, a team of clinicians, researchers, and patients produced new prescribing guidelines for Canadian doctors.

“Opioids should not be considered a first-line therapy for chronic non-cancer pain,” says Jason Busse, the lead author of the guidelinesand an associate professor in the department of anesthesia at McMaster University in Hamilton.

Instead, he says, physicians should initially try non-opioid medications and other treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness training.

If the pain is still a problem, then selected patients may consider a trial of opioids with the dose not usually exceeding the equivalent of 90 milligrams of morphine a day, and preferably kept below 50 mg. Previous guidelines, published in 2010, put the cap at 200 mg per day.

This approach should help minimize potential problems for those with newly diagnosed chronic-pain conditions, says Busse.

But what should be done with the patients who are already taking these drugs? “We now have somewhere between half a million and a million Canadians on long-term opioid therapy for chronic non-cancer pain—many of them at quite high doses,” he says.

According to the new guidelines, doctors should ask opioid users to consider incrementally tapering the amount they are taking to the lowest effective dose and possibly even discontinue the medication.

Busse stresses that weaning patients from opioids is challenging.

“Some will experience persistent pain or important functional reductions for longer than a month after a small reduction in their dose,” he explains. “For such patients, it is quite reasonable that tapering be paused or abandoned.”

He warns that opioid tapering should be a voluntary process and that forcing patients to reduce their dose “may cause more problems than we are trying to solve.”

“People have been coming into my office in tears after their dose was cut back,” says Dr. Hance Clarke, director of the pain research unit at Toronto General Hospital. “This is a common story.”

He says patients “who have been stably functioning individuals on prescription opioids for many years” are suddenly being “destabilized.”

To cope with withdrawal symptoms, some are turning to the underground narcotics market—which puts them at risk of consuming potentially deadly counterfeit medications or other highly addictive drugs, says Clarke.

He says it is important to differentiate between people who are misusing opioids because they have a disorder such as addiction and patients who take the drugs to control pain so they can function day-to-day.

Some doctors are acting out of fear that they could face disciplinary action from medical authorities if they are deemed to be prescribing opioids at excessive levels, says Dr. Gil Faclier, a pain specialist at Women’s College Hospital and the Toronto Academic Pain Management Institute.

But Dr. Steven Bodley, president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), which regulates doctors in the province, insists that such fears are unwarranted —provided doctors are acting in the best interest of their patients.

“Physicians have to use the guidelines to inform their treatment, but they don’t have to necessarily be slavishly attached to them,” says Bodley, who specializes in chronic pain management at his North Bay medical practice.

“If patients are getting weaned aggressively, inappropriately… they can contact the college,” he advises. Once a patient lodges a complaint, “then we would do an investigation.”

Although this is an option, “some patients may be hesitant to complain and threaten the relationship they have with their doctor,” says Prof. Busse. Patients worry that they may be cut off from their source of medication.

“This is a tremendously polarized issue,” says Busse. Some doctors are supportive of long-term opioid therapy while others view the treatment with extreme skepticism.

He is concerned that there is so much pressure to diminish the use of opioids “there is a real danger of an over-correction” and that some of the guidelines could be misapplied and misinterpreted.

“In the rush to reduce the harm of high-dose opioid therapy, we have to make sure we don’t paradoxically create an even greater harm by putting patients in a position where they feel compelled to seek out illicit opioids,” he warns.

Even so, all the attention focused on the opioid crisis has led to a positive development—more health care resources are being made available for the management of chronic pain.

Bodley points to a mentorship program developed by the Ontario College of Family Physicians. The program puts family doctors in touch with physicians who are experienced in dealing with addiction and chronic pain patients.

“This is a really helpful resource,” says Bodley. “Doctors shouldn’t feel that they are hung out there on their own.”

If you have a question about your doctor, hospital or how to navigate the health care system, email AskPaul@Sunnybrook.ca

This article has been closed to comments. 177 comments

PaulMarch 31st, 2018 at 5:32 am

This has happened to me in the past, where I was taking hydrocodone for many years without a problem, then was cutoff do to them following the CDC guidelines. I know this is a world wide problem, and I do not know how I could handle this if it happens again to me, most probably I will either seek out drug dealers or end my life without seeking help. I say this because this issue is not about my well being far as I can see it, but about control and causing me and my family suffering. I do not prefer death unless that is my best option. The same can be said for the 4000 deaths that you state in your article. One thing I did not see is any statistics on how many of the 4000 can be attributed to getting uncontrolled medications to relieve their severe pain as they were not able to get the proper medication and level from their doctor. I personally would not ever sell my medications as all little that I have is used by me so that I do not suffer from debilitating pain to the point that death is a better choice than life. I have since a small child used (some unfortunately say abused as they think that any use of medication is abuse) so that I am able to breath properly, function normally and much much later not be in severe pain due to back injuries, where doctors say that surgery probably will not help me. I have multiple compressed disks pushing on my spinal cord throughout by back a few in the middle, but mostly lower back. I do not always take medication on a schedule, but when I feel pain and also keep track of how much I have taken. I know if lower parts of my body are hurting where I know there are no injuries that it is time for medication. To me this is not really living but existing by the use of medication. The same can be said for those with diabetes, my asthma, and other chronic conditions. It comes down to existing with the medication or death. When people say that people that do not have cancer should not be using such medications, they are basically saying to me that they prefer that I am dead. However they are unwilling to admit that. I know life on drugs is not a perfect life, but it is life none the less as without them the only choice for me is to die. The pain not accounting for withdrawals is so much that I am unable to breath properly or even walk properly. Then on top of it I am unable to get proper treatment for ADHD that has been with me since my childhood. That again adds more to my inability to function properly. All I can say is that my government is basically saying to me that I am better off dead at this point, as they do not want to let doctors prescribe for me the medications that help me to live a good and enjoyable productive life. All I can really say to this is I am glad to not have children, so I can put an end to asthma in my family tree. Also they will not have to live with student loans they will never be able to afford to pay off as well. Millions upon millions of children born to a father on disability is probably the best thing that could happen to this country, as it is the only way to really slay the dragon.

I have been taking opiates for 6 years. I have chronic pain with 6 spinal operations, ileostomy, Crohn’s disease and two small bowel resection.
I have kept my pain away for 6 years but now that the uk government has realised that almost every doctor has over prescribed to the wrong patients and through this I am suffering. I do not want to be taken of a pain killer that works for me.
I was written a plan to drop 10% every 6 weeks. But now I’ve moved and joined a new practice I’ve just been told I’m dropping 10% every two weeks
I will lose my job at this rate as I cannot function. I shake, sweat and can’t concentrate.
I had an appointment today only to be told I was to join a drugs and alcohol clinic. So now I m being labelled a druggy!!! Apparently it’s for people who misuse drug!! But I don’t misuse them!
I’ve been told that drug pushers wait in the car park so they can sell to someone who is desperate like me. My doctor has told me that I have to stick to the plan! I asked what would happen if I was suffering badly with pain and withdrawal? He said that they will stick to the plan regardless
I just don’t know what to do! My partner wants me to join another surgery but will it be like this where ever I go
I’ve been in tears today! I have been spoken too at work, I can’t cope and I’m in pain. Basically the doctors have washed there hands of people who need strong pain killers.
Please if there is anyone out there who can advise me I would be so grateful.

I don’t want to take my own life nor do I want to start of hard street drugs but I’m being pushed in that direction

I am also a chronic pain patient. What is going on is nothing short of inhumane so I have started a Facebook support group for people who are going through the same thing. I just got it up and running so it is at its infant stage but if you would like to join please look us up. The page is a Voice for those in real pain. If no one is going to listen to one of us, maybe they will listen to all of us. @whydowehavetosuffer

I’m having a hard time, my hydrocodone after 20something years was stopped cold turkey, I’m sending on my own.we are ulmder the category of drug dealers, street dealers, this is totally abuse, and a possibility of death. It’s just unbelievably rediciolous.

US,/its a disgrace what is happening to chronic pain suffers. These MDs put us on this medication and all of a sudden its no good for us. Where are the real caring physcians dont they have the nerve to stand up for chronic pain suffers.SHAME ON THEM THEY TOOK AN OATH TO HELP US, They are just affraid/ someone esp.aMD should stand up.ENOUGH ALREADY.

Not only will decreasing pain patients lead them to the streets alot of patients wlll need a caregiver for everyday help. Doctors should be able to weed out patients who don’t really need opiods. As a patient I can tell just sitting in the waiting room who really needs them and who doesn’t.
What is the name of the support group?

15 years of pain since my 20s. I am not sure why they are doing this but i have never done anything they would deem wrong. Checks every month and over those years have only increased slightly but going from Norco to methadone, then too many deaths to morphine and Percocet. well recently cut completely from Percocet and morphine dropped so low I feel pain again. going so long without pain this is insane, every visit I am cut more and more and fear it will cause me to seek relief. already started kratom and can’t deal with this unfairness. this shows even doing the right thing for many years you’ll still be punished for it

You can find it on The Internet. I’ve started using it myself and it really does help. Takes a while to get used to taste terrible but it does work. There are several different strains just check it out

Hi Holly my name is Carla. I too am a chronic pain patient. Actually I have been bed ridden for 5+yrs now. I am so angry at the Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Who is he to tell us and our doctor that we don’t need pain meds. He is a lawyer not a Doctor!!!! He actually said, “ chronic pain patients should take 2 aspirin and tough it out”. SERIOUSLY, I don’t think he knows the difference between chronic and acute. I will be in tremendous pain the rest of my life if someone doesn’t do something about it!!!! Almost 4yrs ago my sister in law decided to take her own life do to pain. The doctors were not helping her. She should have been referred to the Mayo Clinic for a better workup. Instead, at her last appointment they just stopped filling al her prescriptions, pain meds and antidepressants. They didn’t even wean her down!!! I made a promise that day that I would never talk about taking my life again. So, now I live with this pain second by second.
I know there are 10s of thousands of us in the same boat. We should all flood his office with letters, thousands of letters!!! We should tell him with what and for how long we have suffered, and be VERY detailed about it!!! Obviously this man has had a very healthy life. He needs to know that so many of us haven’t.

The thing is, he doesn’t realize that there are certain people that are tolerant of most pain meds and the only thing that works is Fentenyl. And I am not talking about people that have taken them for so long that they become tolerant, I am talking about those of us that they just have never worked to begin with. Now I can no longer be on the patch. I would often wonder if the patch was really doing anything for me anyway. WELL, now, unfortunately, I know it was!!
My doctor, my husband and I had this conversation about Jeff Sessions, we all agreed that this man does not understand, that people are NOT going to stand this much pain for too long. They are either going to commit suicide like my sister in law OR take to the streets for heroin. Either way, it will get a lot worse on the streets. Normal everyday people will be found in seedy areas of the cities trying to find relief for their pain.

He is also trying to shut down the states that have approved , AGAIN. Obama told the DEA to leave the states alone that have passed a law. But Jeff Sessions is now making it dangerous for the people that run these places. Right now, Illinois has a list of medical issues that you have to have to get the product, but law makers are seeing that all these crack downs are causing problems. So, they are trying to get it passed to extend to all patients on opiod pain meds. After all, no one has ever overdosed from marijuana.

Holly do you still have that website up? I tried to find it but could not.

i completely understand. my nerves in my back are pinched up and down my spine. told by my surgeon that another surgery might make things worse. on oxs 60 mill twice aday after bei ng on 80 mill 3 times then twice a day. docs afarid u know. going 2 put me on different meds next mo
good luck 2 u . alot of us out there.

Mike – Your comment was from a while ago so I hope you see this. I’ve had chronic pain since my 30s, over 30 years. My diagnoses take several pages, so we won’t go there… The doctors have tried many treatments including methadone. Unless a doctor has gone through what all of us here have, they don’t know jack about meds. I was told that methadone is just like any other pain med. In fact, for me, it is the only medicine that I’ve had trouble getting off of, so please be careful if you take higher amounts. Methadone is a long term, slow release drug which stays in your system. I also take morphine which is an immediate release drug for “breakthrough pain”. A doctor put me on both types years ago and I am thankful. I am however, very scared with these new laws. I moved from Hawaii to California and my doctor told me not to be surprised if they take me totally off morphine. (I haven’t I changed my levels for 8 years!) Methadone is much more addictive in my opinion. Withdrawals are a bitch, but methadone withdrawals are the worst you’ll ever have. Good luck Mike. I hope it helps you!

Adele…
Welcome to the new world of “PROTECT THOSE WHO BREAK LAWS BY PUNISHING THOSE WHO FOLLOW THE LAW.” This new crackdown ISN’T AGAINST THOSE WHO USES ILLEGAL DRUGS.
It’s against those who are following the laws. And are in great pain to no fault of their own. UNLIKE those who has a choice but choose to be mean and criminal and take illegal drugs just to get high. Party if you will. Then their evil greed of money to sell drugs. And the stupid people who has a choice to buy or not to buy the drugs. They buy them and then because of selfishness and stupidity they ILLEGALLY take them and overdose. Here is where this injustice really starts.
The drug dealers and drug abusers are not being punished AT ALL.
Oh no. It’s all the millions of law abiding proper users who are in unexplainable SUFFERING who are being tortured. And WITHOUT A “REAL” SUBSTITUTE FOR PAIN.

Very well said!!! How do we defend ourselves when any protest to forced tapering and completely ending use are labeled “druggies”. I’m so tired of the snide comments when someone knows I am on hydrocodone. Pisses me off to no end!!! Suicide or illegal purchase of pain meds seems to be my only out when the pain gets so bad I can’t even walk!!!

I am a chronic pain person also. I am so angry at docs for punishing us. They don’t even want to hear it. I know for a fact, that mayo clinic in mn pays docs a “stipend” if you will for not prescribing pain meds and give a black check mark for those that still do. I have had 4 surgeries in the last 3 years and have chronic pain and can’t hardly function. I am willing to even relocate to get some help if it be legalized weed. I am also willing to buy meds off the street but at 62 don’t even know how to begin. Wish there was an answer besides desperation. Help

I feel your pain,and agree with your artiquately written post. I live in Canada,all of us suffering with chronic pain are experiencing almost identical treatment in all aspects. Our government has decided to lump ALL pain med patients in the same bucket as chronic abusers of any walk of life. I.e. anything, food surprisingly is not subjected to any costly investigations like opioid prescriptions. Addiction to food should be a major concern, pediatric diabetes, overtaxing the health care system with diabetes,b.p. meds, cholesteral,etc… Instead we here have a panel of supposed pain specialiasts claim to have all the facts why this severe reduction is “the best for everyone,the devil may care how it has diminished the hour of every day of our functioning as a human,not to mention the phycological functions. Chronic pain should be heard by the sufferers,but these so-called experts are not empathetic,knowledgeable nor in my opinion qualified to make these devastating conclusions and lie to us. Any meetings that c.p.sufferers courageously attend are not allowed to speak!! I am fed up and truly shocked at what a supposed intelligent society has resorted to. I could go on and on,but I am physically and painfully drained. I apologize for any misspelling or not properly researching everything. But the post I read made me feel so hurt,angry,and disappointd in people,especially our government lawmakers that don’t care about the people that put them there. To work for us !!! Lol.

I went through something similar so you know what I did? Started going to the methadone clinic (doctors also prescribe methadone for pain) have been PAINFREE EVERSINCE It worked for me it might work for you too good luck

In the USA … the addiction hype has harmed many TRUE pain patients including me! After 15 years of opoid therapy which for 7 years included a morphone pump … I had my medication cut in half over 2 months! Yes … I ended up being baker acted and treated with nothing! I wont let that happen again! Anything would be better!

It is a lot easier to tell someone to deal with their pain than it is to have to feel the pain day after day without the help you know is there but is being kept from you!

Hi Adele, I’m in the same miserable boat. I even wrote a letter to the director of the company. I let him know what happen to me for being put in the category of people who abuse drugs. The people who end up resorting to heroin. Also told him about the advantages of that God sent medication. I tried every Avenue the doctors asked me to try. Physical therapy, ect. Never had 1 dirty urin, which is mandatory to check if you started abusing other drugs. While taking that medication, I was able to work 40 hours w great pay. Was able to pay a mortgage on a home. Able to pay all utilities, and able to give my little girl a decent life. Then one day, after being on those meds for 3 years, my doctor reminded me of the opioid crises. I said I’m aware and I don’t have any problems with abusing. I acutely told him my exact schedule on utilizing the meds to have enough to only get through my work day, to keep my job and pay all the Bills. I even sacrificed my evenings on taking meds. Suffered with my spine issue every evening so I have enough to only get through my work day. He took me off the meds because of other people’s issues. Lost my house, lost my great job,lost my beautiful girlfriend. My life ended. The director couldn’t, Wouldn’t do a thing. had to move in my mother’s basement because I cant work more that 3 hours a day , and then impossible to work longer than 3 hours. How can anyone survive, make a living, on 3 hours a day. Now what ?, apply for disability ?. I can , and do make twice the money in 2 days of my profession than what I would get in a whole month on disability. I’m about to hire a P I to find me a doctor that isn’t so anti opioid so I can have my life back. Or, look for a major drug dealer to help me. So, I feel your pain friend. My life has to non exist because of other people’s uncontrollable drug issues and there deaths from there abuse with drugs. So so frustrating to suffer cause of the crises, and doctors being so afraid. I feel like opening a lawsuit against the doctors / companys wrong decision and sew them for lost wages for no real valid reason to stop my meds, and literally rocking my whole life. K, sorry for all the writing. Its venting my frustration on you. I’m sorry.

Hi Bruce. I totally 100% feel your frustration and anger. My gyno, just stopped my muscle relaxer cold turkey, without even caring that it’s helped me LIVE for 2 years now. I’ve had 5 abdominal surgeries, in my history. Any physical activity, that requires your stomach and pelvic area i.e. Bending, reaching, stretching, lifting, cause severe painful “episodes” that can last me 2-3 days at a time. I’ve been told I have severe abdominal adhesions. As I get older this has worsened my ovulation and menstration, and intercourse. My gyno prescribed it years ago. It was helping ALL this time, and the one day I get a phone call from her PA, saying that she doesn’t feel comfortable prescribing it to me anymore. I was furious, terrified, scared, angry, resentful. I’ve been going this Dr for over a decade. We even attend the same church. I tried to explain to her PA to please understand that cutting me off this medication would limit my physical activity EVEN more that it ever was. Nothing I said mattered. They stood firm.
Just today I had partial meniscus repair in my knee. The DR prescribed ONLY 8 Dilaud pills for the pain. It says to take every 3 hours to keep up on the pain. So if my calculation is correct. 1 full day of pain meds and then good luck m€^?\!!! Seriously. I wish they’re were a place where you can report these actions. I thought Drs care about their patients well being. Boy, was I ever wrong. I wish you good luck with everything. If you ever need me to sign a petition or write a letter, please let me know. Thank you.

I was in an auto accident when I was 21, my friend was killed, and I was medivac from N.C. island (okercoce island *spelling) to Norfolk Centra, I had a brain hemorrhage, eye hemorrhage, neck, spine, wrist and knee damage. I had no skin left on my forehead to the right temple b/c I hit the back of the seat and it all was ripped off. (it did grow back a few year later) I was in a comma for 10 days and was so bad that they did not believe I would come out of it, and even discussed w/ my parents about using me as an organ donor if things did not change, yet I did wake up, and stayed in ICU for another 9 days. None of this I remember, and when the Dr. asked where I was, I replied chesapeake, which he said that was acceptable b/c the hospital is on the Chesapeake bay, (the truth is that my dorm was called chesapeake and the only one who knew this was my girlfriend who was with me). I have only flashes of memories for the next 3 month, w/ my first clear memory being that I was in Chem. class and my head hurt real bad, and I left. Anyway they put me on loads of anti-inflammatory drugs b/c they didn’t want a 21 year old to start opiates that young. They helped some(especially predisone, yet you can’t take that for long), yet not for the head aches, so I ended up having to buy codeine 4 (50 cents a pill) from a friend whos father got huge amounts b/c he stepped on a land mine). Yet after 2 years the antiinfammatory drugs DESTROYED my stomach and I started throwing up blood and unable to even eat cereal. I went back to the Dr. and yelled and screamed at him for not warning me and for doing it to me, even now I can not take alieve or other such meds. So, my friend gave me a nasal spray, and it worked great, I was able to work, I stopped thinking about suicide (b/c living w/ pain for the rest of your life, at the age of 23 was so depressing) and I felt young again, even my father said to me, “you remind me of the Kev before the accident, and whatever your doing keep doing it, b/c it make me so happy, my grandfather said the same thing”. The nasal spray was Heroin that my friend cooked up like how people inject the drug, and diluted it with water. When I found out, I was upset and stopped. until the pain and detox started. I reduced it so as to not have detox pain, yet the other pain was still ongoing and was bad enough that my girlfriend one day said either your going to my doctor or the ER, b/c I can’t take seeing you in so much pain. So, I did see her doctor. He put me on Duralgesic (fentynal) 25mcg/hr, that didn’t take care of the pain, and we kept upping the meds until I was on 150mc/hr, plus 6 30mg oxy for breakthru pain. This did the trick, and I was able to run my own business (electric motors, pumps, phase converter and such), I got married, bought a house and was living a good life. Then the darkness of the opiate haters started to appear. My doctor reduce my fentynal while upping my oxy, and then reduced the oxy. He then switch me the MS ER 3 60mg per day and cut the oxy to 15mg 6/day. This went on and on and now Im 30mg 3/day and just this month went from 4 15mg oxy per day to 3. During the reduction I was unable to keep working as I had been and was forced to sell my business, my wife tired of dealing w/ my pain problems and the limits it places on me, left me for another man, and said if you kept up w/ the meds I would have never left you (I was lucky that I got my daughter who walks on four legs instead of two for some strange reason(woof woof), yet I love her like my own child, (we couldnt have kids, my wife was sterile), so I was happy to keep her. I had to sell the house, and move into my parents home, b/c I can’t work enough to have a place of my own, and they needed some help also).

I’m in the same boat Paul. I was on hydrocodone after an MRI, xray and ct scan in 2015 showed I had spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease and arthritis. In 2016 I had a lumbar fusion in the lower part of my back. After a long year of telling them I was having terrible pain in my neck and thought it was behind all my migraines and pinched nerves they sent me for more testing and it was discovered my whole neck from top to bottom was herniated or bulging so they did one fusion in December 2017,sent me in june to check the progress only to learn I had another herniated disc and now we’re preparing for another minimally invasive surgery called the DTRAX which will include adding another cage and this will cover my C3-4,4-5,5-6,6-7. Looking forward to having this done already so I can then concentrate on getting into court for a review of my last hearing for disability. I’ve worked all my life and raised a family, never thought I’d be in this position at only 47 but I am.

Wendy I’m so sorry this is happening to you! It’s it fair at all!! I m in no way an attorney etc. but one thing I found out about applying for disability is the more disorders you have the better. For example: before you reapply see a doctor for depression I’m sure you have at this point! Put that on the lists of illness as well as high blood pressure or anything you suffer from other than your primary one. I helped my sister do this and she was approved the first time. Just a thought…

You are absolutely right Paul. My husband is crippled, he fell off a mountain while skiing 35 yrs or so ago. He was skiing and a child skiing fell and landed right in my husbands path. Only having a couple seconds at the most to decide how to keep from running into this child he made a sharp turn and went over the edge of the mountain slope and landed with his legs all twisted and trapped by the skis. He was airlifted to the hospital where he went into emergency surgery to repair his torn knee muscles, tendons, ACL and severed nerves. He had 11 surgerys over the next 4 years by some of the countries very best specialists and they were not able to repair all the damage. Surgeons had even replaced some of his damage with muscles and ACL from cadavers. He still can not walk properly and his knee is irreparable and he is still in constant pain. He must have seen over a dozen specialists and he is still seeking a miracle cure for his knee. In able to function and keep his job and live as normal a life as he takes opiate pain medication. It relieves enough pain so he can walk and continue working. My husband is in the construction field and not qualified for any other line of work and still at age 62 still works in construction. Since the heartless raid on the pain management centers his medication dosage has been cut in half and he can only work part time cutting his income in half making it impossible to make ends meet. Soon we will lose our home. Even though our mortgage is high it is still cheaper than to rent a place. We will soon be among the homeless after working all our lives to have a roof over our heads. When our lawmakers forced his pain center to close it left its disabled chronic pain patients out in the cold. His doctor gave his patients a list of pain centers to go to and after calling the centers on the list, out of the ones that had also been forced to shut down he found one that would take him on as a patient. All the pain management centers were given a mandatory dosages restriction for its patients. Obviously the lawmakers who made this list have never been in the kind of pain that causes patients to turn to pain management as a last resort. My husband as well as the other pain patients feel abused. The United States, land of the free is no longer the land of the free as everyday it loses a little bit of its freedom. What the lawmakers have done this time by restricting medication dosages has taken more freedom away from those who are disabled by chronic pain. There have been chronic pain sufferers who have commited suicide because they feel they are better off dead. Does this make you proud Washington? The power hungry, ignorant (in knowledge) and heartless lawmakers in Washington have no right to dictate to the disabled chronic pain sufferers whether they can take a medication that enables them to function enough to live as much of a normal life as they can. How dare they decide how much medication it takes to relieve the suffering of their chronic pain. How dare they decide how much pain these patients should have to suffer. It is unbelievable that they are allowed to do this to thier own people who are suffering and unable to function because of debilitating pain. Our lawmakers should be trying to remove the heroin addicts from the streets another whole entity. They know where the real narcotic problem comes from and how addicts are able to obtain the drugs. Yes there are always a few who will abuse being a patient in a pain management center and there always will be someone somewhere who will abuse something. It is unethical and immoral for lawmakers to punish the whole for the few. I am searching for an action group to join to try and change this new law.

Everything u explained is true, it’s also me! There has to be a class action suit somewhere. I have been waiting and am searching for this group as are you. I have an appt. Oct. 9th and already know he will cut my meds yet again.

Been on pain management over 14 yrs. Same Dr he reduced my meds to low now I’m in trouble pulled myself from his clinic now don’t have any idea what to do about this one month of meds and it hits the fan please help me desperately need you going through the same thing

Addiction patients are very different from chronic pain patients. Just because someone has chronic pain and is on opioid pain medication, does not mean that they have addiction problems. We should not lump addiction and chronic pain patients together.

Yes! I so agree. I was put on oxycodone by my family doctor for combination of Lupus fibro and spinal surgery issues. He kept up in the Dells for his own personal agenda and eventually I left him because he was abusing me. A very long story but imagine being stuck with no doctor I found a rheumatologist who was prescribing tonight but would not prescribe those high amounts. But I thank God that he’s so prescribing me and I wish I was off of them. At 62 years old it’s so much harder after being on opiates for over 10 years the pain and withdrawals very rude

My dear friend I totally relate to your comment, it really saddens my heart to have read, but only truth in what your dealing with, cause I myself am dealing with body wide pain on a daily basis, and the only way that I gave been able to live comfortably, and maintain functionally is having to go my pain specialist years ago and having being put on oxycodone 30 mg dropped 150 tabs to 15 Mg’s and 90 tabs , at least I was given a breakthrough medication Morphine 30 Mg’s (Extended Release) which i can honestly say I feel was given to me to help keep withdrawals at bay from the cut on my original prescription of oxycodone 30 mg- cut… I agree they are more focused on “the epidemic” only heck we all are, but should we too, the people who neither sell, nor abuse medication have to pay a price and suffer cause of others who have otherwise misused, abused opioids (prescription pain killers) I suffer from Fibromyalgia, which is very painful, sciatica, buldged and herniated disc L4 & L5–, osteoarthritis of the spine, degenerative disc disorder, my muscles and bones are weak, and some days my skin hurts to the very touch…the pain can be unbearable with having suicidal thoughts sometimes- since my meds have been reduced.(cut) in 2011, I had a fibromyalgia attach that was so bad, I was bound to my bed for 6 days straight because the pain was so bad, so bad to the point of nausea..it made me horribly sick. I also suffer from migraines thanks to my fathers DNA was handed down to me. My mom used to tell me stories of such horrible migraines he used to have lasting days at a time to the point of having chronic nausea and suicidal thoughts ,because nothing would give him relief. He’d cry like a baby. Since my meds have been cut , I’ve experienced withdrawals and i know it due to my meds being cut and my body is trying to regulate itself at a lower dose, I have not been as active, as I was before with my steady pain meds making it able to be more active, I had come far from depression, active with my children /grandchildren and my family. My quality of life had gotten better with a maintained doses that I was getting. Now I feel I am back to scare A– Why should others have to suffer from others not abiding by the rules of “their” contract?? Its just not fair…

AMEN STACY, You and I sound EXACTLY the same. My Dr has left it up to me to find a pain specialist. Ive called and called they need referrals WHICH MY DR’S OFFICE here in Michigan Is taking there time getting me in with a pain Dr. Ive had 6 surgeries. My Dr put me on meds due to my debilitating disease But now my Dr has retired and Dr in his place WILL NOT prescribe ANY CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES. MY DR WHO RETIRED WROTE SOME AHEAD & THERE IS ALOT YOUR PHARMACIST CAN DO IF U BEEN AT SAME PHARMACY FOR LONG TIME. I was gonna search for pain clinic in Mid Mi area then go soon as they open and sit. IDK what to do. You and I sound the sane Ive ne er pkayed games of oh I list my meds or stolen etc…I have a incurable debilitating disease WHAT CAN I DO

Im in the same boat with my migraines, back pain, fibromyalgia and a year ago had 30 stitches in my face for skin cancer. But now I’m being weaned from 40 mg of hydrocodon down to 20 mgs. It didn’t just go away! Have been on this pain regimen for over 10 years. This sux!!!

I feel the same way about this .My pcp was was told by administration he couldn’t feel any more pain meds .Have gone to pain specialist twice and they wouldn’t feel meds until mri are done.This is going to be about my 8 th MRI in the last 6 years .The same mri that Drd used to prescribe 3 pills a day isn’t good enough for pain medicine today. They are looking more toward injections.Surgery or implanted device to stop pain. I have an mri scheduled in 2weeks until then was told to use Tylenol and ice.

I think doctors are overreacting to the problem of opioid addiction. It is simply unethical to withdraw or withhold necessary pain medication for legitimate illness or injury. Also there is no research on specific medication addiction rates among specific populations, ie osteoarthritis and other chronic care patients, on long acting morphine sulfate for instance.

Concerning the bio-feedback theory of pain reduction, exercise, cognitive and relaxation exercises only goes so far. In this regard, health care providers and pain specialists may be over emphasizing psychogenic contributing factors. I recently had a ‘tori’ , overgrown bone in my palate, removed. The dental surgeon 4 or 5 prescription Tylenol which wear off in two hours, whereas the pain lasted two weeks. This is really unfair, especially on older patients.

I have not noticed any addiction risk evaluation from any of my doctors over the years. Perhaps they should get better training in how to assess and treat patients with co-occurring diagnoses. Also, if opioids are not prescribed, then alternative pain medication is needed. There are horrendous side effects to many, many prescription drugs and these continue to be used, particularly psychiatric medications. So, I just think the various medical associations need to re consider their knee jerk reaction to what is predominantly a street drug crises ie fentanyl. About 1400 drug overdoses in Vancouver were illegal drug overdoes.

Older patients? Imagine being 29. I had Just given birth to my fourth child.
. Family complete, check
. 7 yrs teaching Middle & High School English, check.
Life was ok, yepppp, except for the looming pain issue:

. I’d been having pain that made me pas out [that is how
my husband finally understood how bad it was- he heard the thud of my head against the bathroom tile while I was getting ready for church one Sunday morning. ]

. Finally (after a couple of years) was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease (no cure) that produces stones, infection, swelling, and pain so immense that I could no longer stand upright.

.Pressing my right side against the cold concrete block wall in my classroom to TRY to make it just one more class period.

. That was seven years ago, now I’m 36 (oldest child 17, youngest child 7).
I have no other family which is why I wanted four children. So, Noone else to care for them. I’ve been unable to work for the past five years, putting all of the financial strain of a large family on my husband. [Not to mention my medical expenses, as we are uninsured ]. We’ve had to move five times in the last five years due to his employment, about to move again at the 1st of October. [3 house payments -as we’ve been unable to sell our two other homes-, four children -with one starting college next year and me, a painful pitiful excuse of a mother who cannot even earn an income ( I worked my answer off for the degrees and now they are useless).

So, especially “THE OLDER PEOPLE, ? ?

I don’t want to live that long. I’m almost to the point now that I cost more than I’m even worth.
My medications have also been cut. If they are cut any more, I won’t be worth anything.

It is now established beyond any reasonable contradiction that medically managed opioid prescriptions are not a significant sustaining element in the so-called “opioid crisis” in the US or Canada. US CDC data on opioid prescription rates and rates of opioid overdose related deaths in the 50 US States and District of Columbia for 2016 show no cause and effect relationship whatever. Absolute risk of overdose death or drug toxicity among medically managed pain patients is on the order of 0.02% (20 deaths per hundred thousand), comparable to the mortality of blood thinners widely used to prevent stroke and atrial fibrillation. Contributions of medically managed prescriptions are lost in the noise of huge volumes of street drugs, notably illegally manufactured fentanyl.

Incidence of diagnosis for opioid abuse or extended prescription of opioid pain relievers among post-surgical patients prescribed opioids for pain control is significantly less than 0.6% during follow-up periods averaging 2.5 years. Many of these diagnoses are incorrectly made by doctors who lack training in both addiction and the emergence of chronic pain conditions caused by surgery itself. Fewer than 1% of post surgical patients continue a prescription longer than 13 weeks, and incidence of abuse is only weakly sensitive to doses between 20 and over 120 morphine milligram equivalents per day. Many physicians in pain management also acknowledge that optimal dose rates vary widely between individuals, in a general range of 50 to 1000 MME (yes, ONE THOUSAND). Over 1.6 million older patients in the US are maintained on opioid pain relief, many of them for decades. The US National Institutes on Drug Abuse confirms that opioid abuse or addiction among these patients is vanishingly rare, despite effects of drug tolerance.

The only ways in which prescription opioids play a part in our public health issue on addiction is in initial exposures of people who never saw a doctor, by diversion: theft from home medicine closets or being passed along by a relative. Even in this role, addiction is not sustained by prescription drugs diverted at home. Addiction is created and sustained by purchases of less regulated drugs in street markets, not by doctor prescriptions. And the driving factors in addiction are almost entirely socio-economic, not medical exposure.

Physicians wishing to explore truth rather than hype and nonsense may begin with several white papers mounted by the
Alliance for the Treatment of Intractable Pain. We’re easily found in a google search.

Restrictions on prescribed opioids and coerced tapering of existing therapies to below therapeutic levels are literally disabling and killing patients. Hospitals are experiencing shortages of opioids vitally needed in surgery. And all the while, overdose deaths from illegal fentanyl, heroin, diverted methadone and morphine continue to skyrocket.

I find the cutbacks to be true when patients have been with a certain provider (Pain Specialist) for an extended period of time. Also, when the patient fails to try physical therapy and massage as complementary treatments. A patient should also submit MR, CT images to verify a cause of the pain.
A person that advocates for himself or herself should shop for alternative physicians before the doctor relationship sours. This type of doctor shopping is not to be confused with the DEA definition of “doctor shopping”. In some states the pain physician turns the patient over to a what is called “physician extenders” which can vary from a PA, NP, NP-C etc. These individuals are usually 30 years old or younger and have only weekend courses to instruct them in pain management.
I recently had a relationship go sour because I had not seen the MD in 8 months and infact found it difficult to see him. Even upon submission of new imaging that indicated a worsening condition the NP weighed in and continued to try and sell me on a spinal cord stimulator, 5 different models in all.
I advocated for myself and made an appointment with a physician associated with a major university with a medical school.
I was then referred to their pain management department which included a well educated staff in spinal conditions and pain. We discussed the “Guidelines” which they knew were not based on scientific data. Furthermore, some doctors do what is best for themselves and their practice and not in the best interest of the patient.
Document everything and keep files. If you can get to a university setting with a neurosurgeon and be referred to a good pain management practice.
Where I am now-All visits are provided by a doctor-no physician extenders.
It is a journey but keep looking.

I enjoyed reading your input on the article about the “opioid crisis”. I myself am a chronic pain patient and have been on opioids for 20+ years with good results. As like everyone, I also suffer from medication cut backs. My question to you is, is it only a recommendation of the CDC to pain doctors that they follow the 90 mg morphine protocol? Is it fair that the CDC put us in a one-size fits all profile?? What if any avenues do we chronic pain patients have now?? Hasn’t the “opioid crisis” been going on since President Nixon was in office?

The opioid crisis started with president Kennedy. I has been proven he was on painkillers fo his back & he was high most of the time up to his death. My problem is is there a real opioid crisis as bad as they are letting on. Also does the government get a $$ portion of $$ for ever patient that goes to a pain clinic.
This is going to force people in severe chronic pain to seek out the local drug dealer or commit suicide.
I have an extremely bad case of TMJ. 23 surgery’s later total joint replacement on both joint, I am in more pain. The joint replacement for my L side was forged badly has small stress fractures & has little pits (holes) in it. Surgeon said he moved & removed the 3 nervers in the L joint. He never did & they are being pinched when I eat, sneeze & cough. My pain level is between 8-10 & somedays it’s 12-15.
Indiana has 2 very big & powerful pharmaceutical companies. They dictated that kratom was harmful. So it was band. I use to take kratom for pain & it had me out of pain.
I feel this is about $$$ than anything else. I guess alcohol will be next. People get addicted to it & more die from alcohol every year. So where is that band?
The DEA are playing doctor without a medical license. When there is a higher rate of suicide amoung chronic pain patients they will change their rules.
If they think the drug dealers will be hurt by all of this they are dead wrong. They will just get their drugs from another outside source.
I wish & pray that everyone has a pain free day. God bless.

Just because someone is taking opiate medications for chronic back pain does not mean they are high. Here you complain about not getting the medication but then call someone else who used opiates a drug addict (since addicts only use of the drug is to get high) Well what makes you different then Kennedy when you use opiate medications. My point is you should not be calling other chronic pain patients who take opiate prescribed by there doctor and have a legitimate need for them. Just like it is not up to me to decide you should get medication based on your health (that should be between you are your doctor) you should respect the same for other. This country has had drug problems since it became a country. Those who know more history of drugs that this country goes in sports with drug abuse. For example we had the opiate act in the late 1800’s which basically outlawed Heroin. In the early 1900’s they started to crack down with Morphine being used in over the counter cough syrup that tons of people were addicted to. Then you had the 1950’s where many middle class and above White women got addicted Benzo’s and barbiturates ( those little blue pills that calm you). Then in the 1960’s and early 1970’s the new evil drug was marijuana and LSD. The 1980’s have us crack and cocaine. The 1990’s have us meth and today all those drugs are abused but street Fentanyl is a new ball park because it takes such a small amount to kills you. Unfortunately people are going to do what they are going to do but if we want to change the course of drug addiction you do not center on the drug (since there will always be something out their to abuse which I think our history shows but instead working on education in teaching better ways to cope with stress and for teenagers keeping them active in productive things that came also help with stress. Corporations can help by doing things like giving bonuses for employees who participate in touch yoga classes or have a gym in the building ect. We need a better sense of community so people feel like they have a place in this world. People abuse drugs usually because they are overwhelmed and drugs calm those feeling of with kids it is usually based on what their friends are trying. This is way over what I meant to write and only the first part is for the person I replied to but our government has been playing this wack-a-mole game for decades and the only thing that is different today is the drugs are more deadly. One thing people do not seem to understand is that is if you do the same thing all the time then things will be the same. If you want a change you need to change how you do things. Well attacking chronic pain patients is new but it is making things worse not better for anyone.

Thank you for your post. I am being forced to decrease my dosage of oxycodone i take for chronic back problems and constant pain of MS and Gadolinium toxicity. I am in constant pain. He is also demanding i not take my soma and xanax. I am on very low doses of them. 2 of each a day. I have taken these meds for over 15 years. I cannot function or work full time without my medication. I lost my daughter last year and the thought of not taking my xanax overwhelmed me. I have always been responsible and have never taken more than prescribed. I am so upset all i do is cry. Do you have any advice for me?Julie.s.dixon@gmail.com
Thank you.

I was just assessed as having zero risk of opiate abuse and was taking twice my current dose back in 2001 by the same doctor who is now wanting to cut my prescription to force me to comply to these idiotic CDC guidelines what are based on false premises as expounded most diligently by this author. Thank you for helping us in this fight, but please get this article to the mainstream media. All we get is bad press from the overdose of drug addicts trying to get stoned and since the government is impotent at solving the actual problem, to score points with voters in a tight election everyone screams “do something” and so this is the knee jerk reaction to cut those with chronic pain, the most helpless members of society who are like me with multiple end stage diseases that are incurable, untreatable, degenerative, and only going to get worse with time as we continue to age. Yes we’d all love an equal or better non-opiate pain reliever but until such medication is through clinical trials, FDA approved, and made available on a comparable cost so our insurance will pay for said medicine, leave us alone! Haven’t we already suffered enough thanks to inherited diseases and auto accidents that were NOT OUR FAULTs! For heavens sake, I can go buy cigarettes at the convenience store that kill a hundred times more people every year, with no known health benefits, and without a prescription, a monthly visit to the pain doctor, a drug screen, and a psych evaluation to confirm I am 100% complaint with my prescriptions. I have permanent spinal cord damage, all my joints in my lower body are worn out from generalized (systemic) osteoarthritis, I have had a dozen major surgeries including joint replacement, spine surgery, ankle surgery, knee surgery, and I can’t even count steroid injections, blocks, and 200 physical therapy appointments, yet there is no cure, no treatment, no solution to end my pain and I’m OK with that as long as I am given the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness guaranteed to me as US Constitutional rights to medical treatment as determined by my physician without government interference based on some biased, poorly researched, and illogical CDC study that even the authors admitted should not have been used for the purposes that our political system and now medical system have adopted as gospel even though over 150 years of experiences with opiates and every major medical textbook scream otherwise. Someone help us before the suicide rates from tortured pain patients makes the death rates from legit pain patient overdoses seem insignificant!

Very well said! We are compliant to three point of rediculousness, yet made to suffer thanks to fake numbers and addicts putting us in a bad light. I’m a 25 yr chronic pain patient, with 23 surgeries under my belt. My doctor referred me to pain management 18 months ago, yet no practice would touch me. They said, “We can’t help you.” I figured out that the main cause was that I’m over 90 MME. In addition, the PM docs in my area only want procedure patients, as they make them a quick buck and have fast turn around times (90 days or less from 1st to last appt.) I feel like a prisoner to the system, as I can’t leave the area for long thanks to pill counts and monthly Dr visits. Something needs to change.

That’s exactly what I’ve experienced, they don’t want opioid maintained people, they want you to get spinal stimulators, spinal blocks, or some other stupid crap that don’t work and leads to more pain, disability, stress, anxiety depression, etc. Then we have the CDC coming out and admitting they over counted RX opioid prescription desk by 50%, their researchers think it’s much higher because they didn’t count all the other drugs people were taking. Considering less than 1% of people who take opioid pain medication have any problem with addiction, and when it comes to intractable/chronic pain patients it’s virtually non-existent. This whole fake RX opiate crisis is a pathetic display of ignorance.

Well said. I wanted to tell U about fat cells being altered naturally & turned into netural stem cells which can be used to repain any part of the body. It is new. Started in Wales I think. Of course right now it is new,expensive & of course not FDA approved. I am also waiting for a TB vaccine to become FDA approved to help fix,cure or remove FM disorders. I am hoping it will work. I did the nre FMtest.com for blood to confirm I have FM. Hope this information is helpful. Do hang in. I am cut off all pain meds now even though I have FM,OA & a broken back + other disorders causing pain.. I am hanging in no matter what. Thanks for sharing.

This article has some points agree with like the decision to taper or cut should be up to patient and not forced. But there is some info that is not correct.Like that long term pain meds can built a tolerance.Everyone can build a tolerance to any med even insulin. And people with intractable pain may need more due to pain or they could be fast metabolisors.All of us have different shapes and sizes and metabolize meds differently. Most people with intractable pain have tried nonopitiate treatments first and many times those treatments have made us worst.Prescribing of opiate meds has been going down for the last 10yrs in America. So when policy makers ,doctors say people are overdosing from prescribed meds is wrong.The numbers or data was wrong and the people that overdosed had multiple drugs in their system and some illegal mix in too.

My own doctor retired at the end of March 2018. This is a very large practice that has offices and diagnostic offices all over Massachusetts USA. I was in between doctors and had finished the last prescription from the doctor who retired 6 days before I was seen by the new doctor. They took a urine test and I got a telephone call from some militant nurse telling me that my levels of opioids in my system will well below what they should be if I was taking my pain medication as I should have been taking it. My response to that was there was a 6-day period where I had no medication. Their response was well there still should have been some in your system. My response was no there shouldn’t it goes out of your system in 2 or 3 days. And then they’re telling me I came up with Vicodin in my system and Vicodin had been prescribed to me because all of my teeth have been pulled in August of 2017 in that 6 day. When I had no pain medication and I had three quarters of a bottle of Vicodin left I took some of the Vicodin. I then went in for the appointment with the new doctor taking over for my old doctor and signed a pain contract now as far as my lawyer is concerned a contract is not officially viable until it has been signed by both parties so I could have done anything I wanted to during that 60. And they had nothing to say about it meaning the doctor’s office. Although I did not take anything that was not prescribed to me I was kicked out of the practice without any pain medication and I was on 10 10 mg oxycodone per day and 330 mg morphine’s per day because there was something wrong with every level of my spine I have 30% of a stomach left and they’re my old doctor described me as a person who has the injuries and illnesses of 11 men. And my new daughter just cut me off. No weaning nothing and I have to try and find another primary care physician when this particular group of Physicians owns about 3/4 of the state of Massachusetts and in all the areas that I live in it’s all his practice and his people I don’t know what I’m supposed to do I’m in so much pain and withdrawal but it’s driving me crazy. My wife is going to complain to the board of registration in medicine and anybody else that we can complain to. As my husband says walk a mile in my shoes for one day and you will feel the constant pain that I am in every single day because every bit of my back is broken I have arachnoiditis down the bottom from a failed back surgery. I have fractures in the middle of my back the T8 and another two fractures that they can do nothing about I also have two discs in my neck that are pressing in words towards my spine that could paralyze me if I move the wrong way and this was just diagnosed by this quack of a doctor and he still threw me out of his practice knowing that I could get paralyzed if I turn the wrong way. I also only have 30% of my stomach left because in 2014 I had a 10-hour surgery where they remove 70% of my stomach due to ulceration they removed about 4 feet of my intestines do to ulcerative colitis and then it took them another 6 hours to repair the intestines as they were and it took to surgeon sewing them up I have all of these records. I also have a tarsal Coalition in my left ankle and my left ankle doesn’t move at all it does is swell I’ve also lost two fingers on my left hand due to sore injuries that I have to I have to have surgery for every couple of years so that we can keep the fingers intact and keep the scar tissue around them down. After a wonderful 10-year relationship with my old primary care physician who was wonderful and diagnosing all of these issues and problems I get sent to this Quack and it’s in his former practice and he throws me out the door because he doesn’t want to give me pain medication after 1 meeting. He didn’t even look at my records I had to have my wife come with me to explain everything that was wrong with me and you know he’s questioning me about things that from 2011 the arachnoiditis that came up in the pictures I sent and my wife said yeah that’s been coming up in the MRI since 1999. And I also told him that I was aware of all of the problems out there that doctors were facing in order to prescribe narcotic medications and I voluntarily said you can start weaning me back so that we can get myself down to just a few medications a day but I don’t know when when my urine didn’t show with all of the pain medications I was supposed to be on even though there was a 6-day gap between doctors and prescriptions and I came up with a Vicodin that was prescribed to me by another doctor they did not even want to hear the explanation they just threw me out the door he didn’t even want to see me. So now what am I supposed to do kill myself because of the chronic pain like that other guy 53 years old put a gun to his head and shot himself cuz he couldn’t stand it anymore cuz he took his opioids away from him that’s what this is coming to is awful and it’s horrible and you doctors and and whoever is overseeing the doctors on this need to come to some kind of a consensus or the needs to be a law passed that you can’t just throw somebody out the door they have to be weaned off of these medications before they can be thrown out the door I am very very angry at this and yes I’m going to be running a lot of letters but what good is that going to do for me when the when the doctors can do whatever the hell they want. Thank you for listening. John G. Nee, Brockton, ma USA

I hear you John and I think that’s some lawyers should start a class action lawsuit against these doctors who I just throwing people out the door without any kind of weaning I think of that poor man 53 years old killed himself and his widow should be the first one to go to a lawyer about this. We need class action lawsuit started in every single state in the USA and in Canada if we have to we all need to come together to get this thing done this is absolutely ridiculous what they’re doing to people in pain.

I have a lot of problems as well but I am going to cut this short. I said the hell with it so I wrote to the first lady. Hey it may not do anything but I figure it can’t hurt . They say there is power in numbers. I’m just saying. thanks Joy

I have been taking oxygen since I’m 18. I’m now 45 and have never abused my meds. I think what Trump is doing to us poor low quality of life disabled patients is dead wrong. I have never once took a double dose, . I have spinal Stenosis, fibromyalgia, brain tumor, titanium plates screws and rods making my foot up as a result of falling off a roof, I have herniated, bulging and siac compression as well Wich with all these ailments gives me not one bit of any kind of a quality life. I’m still in pain even when I take my medicine. My Dr just advised me that he’s cutting Everyones prescription down 12% a month. Wvwn my father who was a Vietnam War Verteran who is 100 % disabled is being cut too. What about the people who have cancer? This is an absolutely shame and I would like to know who to get in touch with regarding this matter. If I’m cut off my pain pills,I’d rather be dead too so take that into consideration because many people will be committing suicide because they just can’t bare the pain their in. Trump changed as soon as he took Presidency. I wish I didn’t vote for him. If he had any pain he would understand what us people are saying but being that he doesn’t experience pain at all he’s thoughtless about the people who need it to have a somewhat kind of life. Wvwn with pain pills they don’t take all pain away. My life is useless without them. What about thoae of us that need them to function daily? Nobody cares. The Drs are too afraid they’re gonna lose their license so they treat us like rats in a cage. We’ve gotten sick from the cut down,and fully back in just as much pain as we were before taking them. If you abuse them yes by all means cut the patients off. But if the patient never had a problem, leave well enough alone! Why? What kind of life am I going to have aoon? Nothing but pain and suicidal from the pain so it’s a no win situation and watch Patient should be treated as an individual and only the Dr knows who’s abusing the pills. That’s all. My rant is over. If I get dropped another 12% I fear the pain I’ll be in will be enough for me to commit suicide. I don’t want to live with absolutely no quality of life and I will not live in this pain I experience on a daily basis.

I live in the US and the same is happening here. My Morphine was cut from 3 doses of 60 MG to 2 doses a day that was last month and now this month he cut the dose to 2 a day and reduced to 30MG. I am already at the point my back hurts so bad I can barely move and next month no more Morphine. My life will be over if I can’t function. I will either have to find illegal drugs or commit suicide because I refuse to go to a nursing home because I will not be able to live alone anymore.

Same from michigan, and they did me the exact same way! legitimate pain and never did anything wrong. I wonder who is gonna be held accountable for the death tolls from sucicide or when we go to something illect! THIS IS NOT RIGHT but feel your pain

I know and that’s nobody should be in that position I get the same way because I’m afraid it’s going to happen to me to again they did it once to me and I was like a pain management but I had to move and now I’m in the state where looks like the same things going to happen and I can’t tolerate it either and it’s not right no I wouldn’t put my pet through that but hang in there cuz I know what it’s like I go through hell to

my original pain Dr .retired just before all this stuff happened. Smart man. So I went to see the Dr that bought his practice.Well that was a nightmare. I was on 360 10mg of methadone a month.I went to see her & it was not good.I ended up leaving there with 120 10mg of methadone. This was in Dec. I spent the whole month in bed. Thank God I had some Xanax,so I made it thru Dec. I am now on 8mg of dulavid 4 times a day. It doesn’t help much. I have diabetis it’s getting worse, I have a fractured pelvis which is inoperable, fibromyalgia, osteoartheitis,spinal stenosis,scoliosis & a few other things.So I don’t know what I am going to do but I am in so much pain & no relief in site. Joy McQuade

Someone please help me. I have been on them for years and have been cut off one, and lowered drastically on the other. To the point I am already trying to find a replacement or someone with them because of pain and withdrawl. I have been on them for years to mamage pain that 5 surgeries failed to correct and now this. doesnt make sense being i have never failed a test or did anything to deserve this

I went today and yup.. you guess more cuts. I wanted to add i was told that his older patients (60 – 80) arent the ones overdosing and implied that because I am 35 i am likely to overdose based on satistics! what kinda stuff is that? isnt that descrimination by age? I thought as I got older and showed them that I passed every test, and have measure like narcan handy for just incase, and do eveything good communication with the doctors I would be set. Well I am told the DEA is forcing it on the doctor and his hands are tied everyone is getting cut. make matters worse have to go every month when for over 10 years it was once every 3. This kind of thing is bad, but to cut pills despite showing up month after month and not doing anything wrong and getting cut like this is just insane! something needs to be done about this.. I cant fight this pain alone!

I have been on pain meds for 20 years after having to give up my children for a year to my mother because my pain was untolorable finally I was prescribed pain medicine and was finally able to get back my family after my kids were grown I decided it would be nice to try and cut back since my life didn’t revolve on a have to do this or that, anyway I requested to be cut and then the unexpected happened I got the opportunity to raise my grandkids and thinking that my doctor would be understanding about my circumstance he would give me back the dose I was able to function at well I was so wrong and had I known this I would have done things differently now I’m raising my grandkids and struggling every day to just meet the basics and bare minium what can I do to get back to functional. My doctor will not help!!

Hi I have been on pain medication on and off for 14yrs I take my medicine correctly no side affects I take morphine 30mg twice a day and I was taking oxycodone 4times a day my doctor cut me back to 3times a day and already my pain has gotten worse in a weeks time I refuse to live like this I was fine taking 4times a day my oxycodone 10/325 now I’m not sleeping not doing as much as I was doing last month I need to stress to my doctor I will need to go back to what I was in before but he’s very strict he goes by the book it took this pain clinic over a year to put me back on my 30mg morphine I have never had a lower dose in my life till I met these doctors 15mg did nothing to help control my pain thank you

You and I are all in the same boat being punished for others actions and abusing the meds , I bet they don’t cut heart patients meds nor I bet they don’t cut diabetics meds , but they cut our meds because they can’t test for it , I just wish all these people that are in the govt and these doctors could feel the way I do.

I have severe pain,back cyatica,kidney stones,hernia mesh,arthritis in knees,fingers, have been on oxycodone 10/325 my D.O. Said he is scared now because dea coming down on Dr.s!!! Every month he cuts me down,this month will go down from 4x qd as needed for pain to 1 qd as needed! Way to low of a dose&next month nothing!i am scared,!why is dea doing this to people that really need? Need help!afraid of having seizures

So glad I found this I’m in the uk and have been taken of Tapentadol 200 mgs for degenerative disc disease & other spine problems my consultant who was president of pain management in the whole of Europe put me on after the concoction of meds from the GP practise we’re doing nothing apart from turning me into an overweight zombie I was also having regular pain management injections which the government have now scrapped for not working but after doing a lot of digging & research I’ve found they were only stopped for undiagnosed back pain so I’ve been bullied into an eight wk reduction the last four wks have been horrendous he’s told me no matter what I won’t be going back on Tapentadol he agreed to not reduce any of these pain meds until I knew if I could have my injections back then sent me a letter the wk after explaining the reduction with two prescription s attached to the back no support offered they have put me bk on pregablin even tho I went from 8 stone to 13 on these previously which isn’t good for someone with chronic back problems I’ve never once in the time I’ve been on the tapentadol asked for my tablets to be upped to the 400 s or 600 s what I was on worked for me & now I’m in agony left with only a my 50 mg fencino patch which he’s told me is also going …… I didn’t ask to have these degenerative problems I don’t take these opiate s to get high I take them for the daily pain & to function as a normal mum wife & grandma of 52 yrs i am going to see him tommorow to speak to him once again try to get him to see it from my side as a person in constant pain not a drug addict I just want my life back my sleep back i have a chronic pain page I’ve set up on face book I’ll put the link on please join and add your experiences & voices to it we’re not being heard or listened to a lot of info is from America & Canada but it’s happening all over the uk and maybe if enough of us shout we will be heard xxx

I have a problem in my upper back that my surgeon doesn’t want to operate on because of a high probability of paralysis in some area, he sent me to pain management and my meds were working until my dosage got cut now what am I suppose to do , hurt an be miserable because junkies abuse the meds I need to live a some what kinda life, it’s so unfair to be caught up in this mess , I’ve always went to my appointments and passed my drug tests that were given now I’m being punished

Hello I’m one of the patient it was cut at 6 weeks for my total knee replacement I’m i escrusiating pain can do my therapy good and cant bend my knee because of the pain. My case I have partial knee on october 2017 after 8 months of pain and not taking any medication and no therapy Nd not bending my knee the doctor did a total knee for the pass 10 months my knee is not bending during that time. Now I most need to do therapy but i cant I only stat taking opi when my second surgery doctor cut completed the opio now im going like dont know what to do with my pain I got meloxican gabapartin tylenol aleve motrin dont work for thiz type of surgery please need help. Is not fear we paid for other people who abuse from opio. Thank you cary

I am a chronic pain patient. I have Interstitial Cystitis which causes continuous pelvic pain. Basically, my bladder has holes in it’s protective lining which allows the toxins and irritants that are excreted to attack underlying muscle which causes bladder cramps (resembles childbirth pain in it’s intensity but there is no adorable baby or cessation of the cramping at the end of childbirth) and intense pain. I sincerely tried everything my doctor prescribed but nothing helped my pain until I was given Bentyl (an antispasmodic) and TRAMADOL. I have taken Tramadol 50 mg tablets (1 in the morning and one at night) for the past 16 years. I have never had the dosage increased, EVER!!! Tramadol allows me to work, take care of my aging parents, and enjoy kayaking, hiking, bicycle riding, scuba diving, dancing and other “normal” human being things. I was totally blindsided when my Urologist advised that he would no longer prescribe this drug for me. I was told to “get your primary doctor to prescribe it for you or a Pain Management doctor, I will no longer do it.” Three months later and I have had EVERY pain management doctor in my large city tell me they won’t treat me and my PCP stated she couldn’t either. So that’s It? A human being with a 16-year history of functioning well on a drug that was just added to a Category IV controlled substance and wham! I am now a drug addict? I am dependent on Tramadol, but I am not ADDICTED to it. I have never been arrested (for anything, certainly not for abusing drugs), never prostitutes myself, never sold drugs, stole drugs etc. I was BEYOND miserable before Bentyl and Tramadol and now I have to return to that living hell?

Seems strange to me that politicians and federal agencies are soooooooo concerned about “overdose drug deaths” and “the opioid crisis” when 480,000 people a year die due to TOBACCO-related use (that’s right, 4 hundred, Eighty thousand) and 80,000 people die every year due to alcohol-related deaths. Furthermore, how many opioid deaths are due to heroin, cocaine, meth, fentanyl? Bet the # of chronic pain patients is miniscule compared to these big numbers!!! Guess the tobacco and alcohol lobbyists and campaign donators get carte blanche to keep on supplying their addicted.

Attention United States chronic pain patients (CPP), their families and loved ones!!!!!! The Food and Drug Administration is requesting comments from CPP’s!!!!! Comments may be mailed or emailed. Do not put Social Security or other confidential information in your comments or email!

You MUST cite the following information on your submission:
Docket No. FDA-2018-N-1621 “Patient-focused Drug Development on Chronic Pain; Public Meeting; Request for Comments” Comments must be postmarked on or before September 10, 2018.

Again, do not put Social Security numbers, full name, email address or full mailing address in the body of the comment, it will be made public online.

If you wish to read all of the information, visit “regulations.gov” and the information to put in the search box is”: “Patient-Focused Drug Development on Chronic Pain”

There were 1,328 people who went to the meeting, please publicize to your fellow CPP’s, families and friends, the laws will not change unless enough American citizens protest this horrendously egregious treatment by politicians looking to brag they have committed to stopping the “Opioid Epidemic” and Federal Agencies wanting to ensure they are not cut or done away.

I left my comment today Lynn,
I am 60, have Bern on Fentynil patch for 14 yrs., I was switched over to patch after a previous Dr. I had seen for 2yrs. had me on 6 pills plus Oxycodone 189mcg. Time release pills, I went thru hell to drop the 6 pills and wean my dose to less in 30 days when I was waiting
to see my current M.D. and have him switch me to the patch.
Now 14 yrs. later and using 75mcg. Fentynl patches, my Dr. Is going to a hearing, not over me but he is scared and cutting me down to 50mcg. That is less than recommended, I already go thru the beginning of withdrawals every 3rd day, the heat makes me absorb faster in summer. I am really scared. None of this will help me, but I voice will be heard. I wish they had told me what opiates do, In have nerve damage, and memory loss, depression, my life has been a nightmare, I can walk without a lot of pain, but who’s to say non opiate wouldnt have worked? Too late now. God bless and Thank you for the link, Ellen C.

I was in a car wreck in 03 the seat belt cut my liver into the er doctor told me I could never take otc medicines for me to get a dr. to manage my pain I was crushed up inside the pain dr. started me on 3 oxycodone and I’ve been taking them for 15 years now my dr. cut me to 2 mg oxycodone I tell him I’m in pain before its time to take my second pill he doesn’t listen what can I do I’m a 65 yr. old female

We need to organize we are many votes only way to fight back , there over 100 million of us ,wake up call your Congress man call them over and over again,get names start a petition to sign on line, all the story are the same here, take names at your doctor office get people to sign up.

daniel, you are absolutely right, i am with you on this, lets get something started. you can contact me at pineyrebel@gmail.com or phone me at 1-573 674 2028 if no answer leave message and how to get in touch. let our voices be heard. Thanks Jeff.

actually there’s one thing that I found wrong in here and that’s usually if you meet the pain with an adequate dose of relief it shouldn’t it should take that pain three to seven years to get it pain tolerance to opiates if people are coming back in every couple months that’s an addiction not pain they’re chasing a Euphoria high and doctors got it wrong

Excuse if my Google speak glitches but yeah it’s a travesty of Justice in the laws that they’re even making to cry and combat the problem is just making it worse nobody should be cut off at opiate. Rather you drug addict to begin with OR you become dependent or you get better and especially if you are sick and in pain the doctors must be educated more they’re the ones that cause this mess by not understanding pain and being able to recognize because be able to recognize the two because if you’re put on the pain medication you come back in a week and they said How’s it doing and you said I’m still having a lot of pain and then they up it and you find a dose that works you you shouldn’t need to up the dose for several years and if you’re coming back saying if you a couple of months then the you’re chasing at you for you not a pain eradication. When I’m angry about I have been on MS Contin 30 mg 3 times a day for 12 years I moved from Arkansas to Missouri I’m disabled on Medicaid and then Missouri tonight it’s saying that that was for cancer patients what a laugh well I’m here to tell you my pain is excruciating has nothing to do with cancer infection and thank God I had to take my food money to buy this but I wasn’t going to suffer in cuz I’ve been cut off before and I know it’s like for the pain to come back and I also suffer a lot of sickness and then have severe withdrawal on top of it I almost killed myself but I also think it’s very unfair for Missouri to do that to leave me in that state of Limbo what would I have

I have been on morphine 60 mg.4 times a day oxycodone 30 mg.4 times a day for 12 yrs. I was reduced last year to 3 times a day same meds later same yr. After 6 months was reduced to 30mg.morphine 2 times a day and 10 mg. Oxycodone 4 times a day I have adjusted but has been very painful now my clinic has closed and have no dr. And no other dr. Will take me I have been on disability for over 10 yrs and have records to show all my medical problems I’m trying to get in to a pain management clinic but they can’t make me a appointment until my records are sent to them the dr.clinic I was going to keeps telling me they have sent them but the pain management clinic has not recieved them this has been going on for 2 weeks please tell me what I can do…

This is happening to me now in USA. I’ve been injured 17 years, severe back injuries. Was given my 1st surgery in February, which hasn’t helped me at this time, 6 months later. California is trying to remove me from ALL opiods & barbiturates at once. I’m not only worried about how sick I may get, but I’m worried i won’t be able to function due to too high of a pain amount. No one seems to be able to help me. Not my Dr. My pharmacy had their schedule 2 lic pulled from them by DA. They go & bother the mom & pop pharmacies & bully them 1st, then go to the bigger chains like Walgreens, CVS, etc. I’m scared at this point. I’m sick. My manic & other issues in my mental health are deteriorating. After finally finding the right combination of medications. I was tried on every non narcotic pill before ever trying the harder ones. They did nothing to help my pain. I’m so disturbed that, as someone who has taken my meds correctly & for over 15 years, (ive even weaned off of oxycontin entirely & lowered #s for roxycodone & norco. Ive lowered my soma amounts without being asked. They still get kicked back to me by the pharmacies, even though my dr prescribes them. I’m being forced off of norco, roxy, valium & soma. I just wish there was something i could do. I know of at least 5 upstanding citizens who are currently seeking heroin to help them out in their pain & being forced off medications they’ve taken for years. People think opiods are scary, wait until everyone switches to illegal, street drugs. Then there will be a newly made epidemic by the same people taking us off these medications, especially when used responsibly. Guess I’ve some long & unpleasant things to go through. I still need more surgeries! This is just too much.

I have been on opiate pain medicine for 18 years . My family practioner cut my meds by 80%. He says he HAS to or won’t have a licesnse to practice. My quality of life has deteriorated to the point I don’t care to get out of bed .

I have .been on oxy since 2001. Before oxy they tried several pain meds which just made me drowsy.
In 2001 I had an anterior fusion which they cut my sympathic nerve and took chunk out of it and also the fusion never solidified. After 3 years of injections in my back left me with a tarlov cyst which meant no more injections. I have no sympathy for drug addicts. My insurance pays for my oxycodone-never had a problem with getting med filled. Now more people are worried about addicts than about the benefits of the med for real people in pain. So who do I sue or take my complaint to a higher authority? I am 62 —do dems feel I am going in the internet to get my pain med and at 62 does anybody think I am going to the ghetto for a drug dealer?
Sympathic for addicts none. This is wrong!

But didn’t they change the law ,that all doctors have to totally wean off ppl that use them,or get in trouble,thus loose their licenses ? my husbands new VA doctor cut his pills of 5 mil, oxycodne pills to 3 a day from 4 without even ever seeing him.He was very sick for over a week. Now after 1 month cutting them again.5 mil reall? Is he telling us the truth that they have to do this or get in trouble? Is it a new law? Please ! ,! Help me find out the truth???

I have nerve damage in my foot that has now affected my tows. My foot is ten degrees hotter then the rest of my body so when it is hot outside it feels like someone is holding a lighter under my foot with no real way to relieve it. I’ve had this for two decades so I have tried every alternative they threw at me including a spinal cord stimulator that they had to remov because the cord was laying on my spine. 8 years ago I was taking OxyContin at pretty high levels so I researched methadone and asked my doctor to put me on methadone to see if I can get off of the high doses of OxyContin. Methadone has no tolerance level so I was quite pleased when I also learned that it was working. Methadone changed my life. I was thriving, I went back to college earned a degree and was on track to get off of disability. Then my doctor told me I no longer had the right to have quality of life because of others who have broken the law, lied to doctors, then overdosed. Now I have been labeled a drug Addict and a throw away. Thankfully I have a doctor who is taking me down slowly. I really didn’t realize how lucky I was after hearing about doctors who have completely cut off chronic pain patients then dropping them as patients with no other alternatives. What ever happened to “First do no harm?” These cowards who are doing this belong in jail because a high percent of their patients have committed suicide.
Then yesterday I learned that pharmacists now have access to our medical records. If they do not think our diagnosis fits the amount of meds we are on they can override what a doctor has prescribed. Are you kidding me? So now I have no rights for quality of life and I have no rights to patient/doctor confidentiality.
Methadone clinics for heroine addicts have more rights to methadone then I do. I appreciate you writing this article but your explanation is just as clinical as what my doctor tells me everytime I go in there. I am sorry but I will never understand the complete lack of empathy anyone has for what we are going through. You really want to make a difference, fight for us. Someone please fight for us. I have spent the past eight years building a life I never thought possible. That’s gone now because a room full of doctors and government officials made a decision to no longer care for patients who are truly suffering. The Opioid crisis will be over but we are about to see the biggest heroine epidemic and suicide rate this country has ever seen because they mishandled patients who have never abused their meds or lied to doctors. Who will they blame then?

After taking a over 10 years pain medication The same dose I was hoping to my doctor would increase my dose but my doctor is cutting down my medication since one month I am not knowing what to do I wasn’t taking almost one year no depression medicine I will start back on depression medication and if go buy them on the street they are charging too much money now I am really wondering what is going on long long time ago I wasn’t happy about my life doctors said this is your life you have to cope and This medication is has to be in part of your life it took me a while to get used to it over the years I had really difficult time in my life I don’t know what to do what are the options I don’t want to go back those bad days i was lucky god spare my life now I’m saying to myself god why did you spare my life to go through pain and suffering again I don’t think I can handle this but I will try and getting no where I love my doctor but even the doctor doesn’t know what I am going through I don’t know how to cope this time I am hoping one of this days I get some help from where I don’t know but I just keep praying at least for now
I don’t know if I wrote this comment where I supposed to but I did it anyway if I did wrong accept my apology thank you
I just wanted to talk and say something

I have had a bad cough for about 3 days if I don’t get it under control I get pleurisy and I will break a rib. That has happened before then I am Off work for a week. I Know what works for me. I went to a after hours clinic. I told the Dr. I needed cough syrup with codeine . The Dr. said no because of the new regulations. I feel I was treated like a drug addict, . I don’t even take pain med. I already am taking cough syrup but is not working and I have been to the Dr. three times this week, fighting another Dr. for a strong Antibiotic, as they tell me I have a virus. I am a mess with a bad sinus Infection for a week and has missed some work. I finally got the antibiotics and am feeling better I just need to get this cough under control so I can lay down at night and get some sleep. why do I have to spend money going to dr. three time as I get sicker and sicker and wont give me what I need.

I, too am dealing with the same issue as the above patient. I’ve taken 7.5 mgs of oxycodone, twice a day for 6 years and never had a problem; sometimes taking only once per day. My current physician will no longer prescribe and neither will pain management. They would like for me to take muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatories instead. I’m really not ok with this. I still work full time and muscle relaxers make me too groggy and although the anti inflammatory reduces swelling, the nagging pain is still there. As long as you’re tested and sign a pain medication agreement, I don’t see the problem. What are the people who legitimately need these medications supposed to do? Taking a muscle relaxer on a routine basis I feel is more dangerous in the long run

I’m in a similar situation , check my post. There have to be corrections to the new guidelines or we, who legitamately, for chronic pain issues and who have tried everything else should not have to make the choice between suffering forever or turning to Alcohol( which by the way doesn’t work fir me) or the horrific thought of turning to th BLACK MARKET ( Gid forbid!)

I agree and if I got out of medication before my next appointment I physically can’t work and it’s causing me to lose money and putting food on my table… I wish I knew how to start a movement and fight this mess

All of a sudden doctors are playing with my life… Living with HIV for 30 years and having degenerative disk … They cut me back and I end up for five days without any medication at all… It’s ruthless it’s ridiculous if somebody feels they have the right to control how I feel…

I have deteriorating discs and a back and I have lower back fusion. My pain is not going to go away it is forever! What are we supposed to do, I can barely move it as it is I’m on disability I’m in bed 90% of the day. And I find when I go to the doctor or the pharmacy because I don’t look horrible I suppose they kind of stereotype me. You have no idea how much pain I’m in because I’m not screaming ouch at the moment does not mean I am not in pain. We have no choice but to walk to the doctors and we have no choice but to go to the pharmacy other than that I am bedridden and to be honest my husband goes to the pharmacy for me 99% of the time, he is my caretaker. I am 52 years old and I have thought of all thoughts just to get out of pain like I’m sure many other Americans have. What do we do how do we stop crying screaming from the pain it’s not fair it’s just unbelievable. Has anyone for the CDC had deteriorated what chronic pain for life… I am so sure they’re getting their medication somehow if they had because they have money. These two laws are killing Americans or not drug addicts. I have never gone from any of my painkillers ever. There was a point I even suggested they lower my dosage certain pain medication because it was too much and yet I am being cut down so severely. THIS HAS TO STOP …PSIN IS NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL … AZ ND MINE IS FOREVER…HELP ME. HELP ALL AMERICSNS WHO ARE SUFFERING.

I had a tooth extraction with bone graft last week, they gave me 10 pills hydrocodone .5 That’s enough for about 2 days because you have to take 2 pills per dose to get ANY relief. I’m still in pain and the doc will not refill, so as a result i have to take 2 Advil and 2 Tylenol and it’s not very effective. This is messed up, who do these lawmakers think they are? I’m sure none of these lawmakers or doctors will have any trouble at all getting their opioids when they need them. It’s time for class action lawsuit against the government over this. My bone graft feels like a vice clamped down on my gum and I need opioid meds, but am treated like a drug seeker addict after paying the dentist big bucks to do 1 hour’s worth of work. I’m so pissed, I can’t imagine what chronic pain sufferers are dealing with right now. What are we gonna do?

I have been on morphine 100 mg for about 5 years and my tolerance to pain medication inside now they’ve cut me first month 1 pill 60 mg month 2 pills 6 mg next month I can’t live in pain what they’re going to push people to end in their lives because of the pain he wants to live in pain and agony same people that overdosed and died pain they should have pain just one day know how it feels is sad one of my to do I’m about to my wits end with it and it’s it’s so sad because the innocent people that’s in pain is the one that’s hurting what are we to do in their life a lot of people that’s what’s going to happen and the doctors are so afraid of losing their license cuz Ithey’re scared and I have multiple problems with my back and nerve damage that nothing can be done for it and I’ll throw itis so it’s like you know I’m not Faking It is documented there still cutting me I need help in Charleston South Carolina but what are you going to do what is the people going to do

I have been on opiots for years do to coronic back pain. My life is limited to what I’m able to do with my meds. I do not over take my meds and the doctor can count my pills to see that I take them as needed. I’m in florida and my pain management dr. has lowered the amount I can take a day. My quality of life at this time is mostly laying down with tears do to my pain. I don’t want to have to buy drugs on the street but what are we suppose to do when I can’t even get in my car to go shopping for food. I know people are selling drugs, over dosing. These people are addicts and need help but why should the people that need there meds to beable to have some kind of life be punished. There has to be another way. I have given back meds to my dr that was to strong for me or I felt high and didn’t want them.Now I was put on opiots that my pain level was to the point that I could at least clean my home taking breaks inbetween. I was still in pain but I could tolerate it. Now that governor scott is taking our meds from us I lay in my bed most of the day and cry. If the dr counts our meds and sees were not abusing the amounr prescribe why do we suffer cause of people that are addicts. I just don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve been taking my meds for years and now to be taken off, what are we suppose to do. There is going to have more people in jail or dead from trying to get it on thw streets and turning to a drug that is more addicting or something that will kill us. I pray something is done for patients that really need there pain meds and not abusing them. Thankyou for letting me vent. Its awful to have back pain, and pain in other parts of your body and no one cares. Let us suffer. I just don’t get it.

I was cut off of hydromorphone leaving me on hyrdocodone when the pain clinic I’ve been using since 2008 hired a new office manger/doctor whom took one look at me and decided I was selling my meds because I’m on disability what can I do?

People do abuse them, most of them that abuse them have a legal prescription. I have been on hydrocodone for 15 years, everything else makes me sick. I am sick of them they take the edge off some times. I take 3 a day sometimes 4 they are 10/325. If i cut back my legs cramp up and I sweat horribly. I have had 9 spine surgeries and have severe nerve damage but Im so sick of these pills. I can see why people crush and snort them as a different approach to get them in your system. I won’t do that. I just hate the way things have turned out. There has got to be a better way.

I have been on one opiate or another since i was 28 years old and hurt my back on the job. I am now 57 years old. My original doctors who had me on opana 40mg 4/ day 6-10mg for break through retired and i didn’t even know they were going to. Now i have this young doctor who immediately made it known he was going to take my pain pills. He took 40mg every other month to 2/ day and 4-10gm after 8 years with this clinic..And i started being a few short at appointment. Last appointment i was getting 2-40 and 410s/ day he shut me off said i wasnt complyaint and self medicating but i just couldn’t do it i tried…i HAVE TO work or i lose my home. I can’t work i hurt all over. So I’m now on my last prescription of 14-20mg and 70-10mg then I’m done he said. The whole time i wad going there i NEVER got reprimanded.. was never short on count absolutely no problems until he got me down to 2-40mg aday now he throws me out ĺ am miserable. I’m irritable i sweat dihurria, cold chills and don’t know whay top do.
He NEVER asked how i was doing with the reduction never sled about my pain after begging him he said he isn’t going to lose his license footer anyone wanting pain meds!! THIS IS PAIN MANAGEMENT I’m talking about!!

I’m a Pain Management MD and to be honest, I have not read all of these comments. But I want everyone to know several things. The fear of prescribing opiates is in no way limited to just Internists and Primary Care doctors. I am scared too–despite the fact that I am doing everything by the book. I truly believe that the government and regulatory agencies purposefully make it hard for doctors to feel comfortable prescribing opiates. Also, there is a Medicare D policy that is to take effect on 1-1-19. At this date, all Medicare D patients in the country will be limited to 90mg equivalents of morphine each day. You need to get (on-line; google) an opiate calculator to figure out your dose if you take opiates but basically we convert all drugs to the equivalent dose of morphine so that we can compare apples to apples. Secondly, the gov’t is lying about many of the stats re the opiate epidemic. They have purposefully mixed data (deaths, etc.) from the street with that seen in legitimate pain management clinics. That is, take the CDC “guidelines”, and throw them out the window. They completely lack legitimacy. Lastly–and here’s the one that really gets me–while the government (correctly and appropriately) keeps track of opiate deaths, they do not keep track of deaths from suicide due to uncontrolled pain. In my own experience, I have seen two patients (I saw at some time or another in the hospital or in a clinic setting) die from suicide because they could not get the dose of opiate they needed. I have ZERO deaths from opiate overdose in my clinic. But I have seen two suicides. According to the gov’t, these don’t count. Total hypocrisy.

Thank you for speaking out.I think the suside toll will only get higher.I think the government has no business in health care..they are not Dr.s! I am curious as to your suggestion on what we should do? I am concerned that people like myself will either look for illegal ways of dealing with unimaginable pain or choose death…the same thinking has been on my mind.

I have been taking 300 mg of morphine sulfate for 15 years. My doctor cut one pill out, which made an impact on my daily functioning and now is going to cut me down even more and I know I’m not going to even get out of bed then. What can I do? I never, ever took more than was prescribed.

My doctor recently cancelled my visits to his office because I had to cancel a few times and I am a single parent it’s very hard for me to make appointments even though I had set them. I take 10mg Norco and from the Inception I have had dirty looks from all the pharmacist because along with the doctors being overly scared 2 prescribed opioids the pharmacist really are on a power trip. They give me very dirty looks when I go in to try to get my prescription they lie and say they don’t carry it then if I ask will they hold my prescription till they get it they say it’s illegal to hold your prescription that’s not true. They just want you to go somewhere else. This opioid scare this opra business is such a joke and overblown political vehicle. I shouldn’t have to explain myself to some Walgreens pharmacist. My doctor sends that prescription in you fill it. Let’s see in 2005 I was sitting in my motorcycle at a red light and I was run down by a drunk driver going 70 miles an hour my wife died on the back of the bike I broke my back in 4 places amongst other very very painful injuries collapsed lung broken collarbone broken pelvis. I have more rods and metal in me than the Tin Man. I am 60 years old and I feel that I should not have to feel as if I am some sort of a villain when I walk into Walgreens… When I was in the hospital initially and I left they left me with prescriptions of 420 mg of morphine sulfate a day at different intervals along with a fentanyl patch along with daleiden and that was as needed and when I told the doctor that I was falling asleep in front of my sons and I don’t want to sleep through their growth I said please put me on something else like one pill and I’ll deal with the pain so he dropped everything and just put me on the Norco. All I can say it was easier getting that fentanyl the morphine and the Dilaudid then it was getting the one prescription filled for the Norco. Because when they target a certain drug that’s when all the little so-called or want to appear to be do-gooders start coming out in force. Well all I can say is to all of you I wish you were on the back of my bike. I wish you knew what the pain was that I feel every day and night. And still might question is never been answered by your article can the doctor legally cut you off and just stop you by canceling your prescription without titrating or tapering you. I’m asking a straightforward question is there legal ramifications or legal guidelines he has to adhere to? HR

I’ve been on Norcos 10 325 for well over a year now my doctor has referred me to a pain management and everyone I have spoke to has told me that they’re not going to write pain medicine Scripts now I’m in pain everyday I have sciatica in in both of my hips on top of that I have elephantitis where the circulation is in a right and the liquid builds up in my legs and my which makes it painful to walk oh did I mention my doctor cut me off completely I was taking my pain medicine 4 times a day as needed for pain so I had a script of 180 and now I have none is there any way you can help me

I live in the US …I am almost susisidal at this point…I have taken the same dose of opiods 4 over 20 years. Now I have been cut back so drastically I can no longer function. This is so unfair…am I not intitled to a decent life? I

I was on hospice last year I was giving hydrocodone for the stabbing and Xanax for my anxiety I moved from California to Arkansas everything was okay I moved to Ohio nothing’s okay they won’t give me my medicine at all now I was just laying here in misery I thinking about leaving everything behind but just taking my clothes my calf and my girlfriend back to Arkansas just to get put on Medicaid and try to find a doctor that will I feel like dying I went to Mental Health in Ohio just to get a bill after 2 months I am so lost I think they want me dead so they don’t have to mess with me seizures all the time now never had before pain in my stomach is so bad I can’t even get out of bed I wish I was dead sometimes

I have neck and lower back chronic pain and have worked with the help of medication.
up to 6 allowed hydrocodone a day some days I might need that but many days I don’t
The clinic I went to has taken then away abruptly I had not
withdrawal symptoms But they have taken my quality of life. I am going to loose my law
enforcement job and I can’t pick up my grand kids or clean the house or drive for any
length of time. I do not know what to do I am almost 65 and I do not want to spend
my so called golden years laying in a bed in pain

Why are the patients that go to a pain clinic being punished for the people getting illegal. I have back pain and 3 Norco a day does it help and neither do the 25 mg of Fen. Patches. I can’t tell if I have a patch on or not. I spent a week away from home and forgot my patches and there was different. The pain is still there. I’ve started havening panic attacks again because I’ve been without Norco and I know how it feels. The people are buying it illegally and making chronic pain people suffer.

Are you kidding me? I have life long back and neck degenerative pain, at a very serious level. I have NEVER gotten addicted to opioids. One reason is: if you want to have a bowl movement anytime soon, don’t go there(not kidding). Life brings pain in all sorts of ways. Please find a way to deal with it. I do take them occasionally when it is not tolerable. I start with a half. If that does not get it done, I take the other half.
Some folks are very terminal and need these. Stop conflating those of us in need with addicts and idiots that run from life’s issues. Avoiding life’s issues seems to be the epidemic. Not the help that Docs and Rx’s help us deal, day to day.

I had squamous cell carcinoma Timber with eight and a half centimeters I was given two months to live the radiation treatment burned a hole in my spine and one of my ribs opened up nerves and now I have chronic pain and my doctor is telling me he has to cut back my pain medication I was in good condition I was feeling good the pain was more less totally under control and now I’ve got to suffer more and more and more is anybody out there can help me please get back with me

I have been taking 20 mg of oxycodone and a 15 mg of morphine 35 mg of opiates in the morning and the same dose 12 hours later in the evening before bed. 70 mg of opiates a day for the past five years. I was born with an extra vertebrae that pinches my spinenal cord sending pain down my right leg and causing shooting and electrical shock like pain. It is debilitating. My regular family Physician died. The Doctor, I’m seeing now is in a real hurry to take away my medicine. I explained to him the reason why I need my medication. I became I’ll and needed an antibiotic, he prescribed an antibiotic that caused opiate withdraw. I did not know this until my severe pain came back and I was feeling sick in my stomach and sweating constantly. Then I read the information about the antibiotic in the leaflet. He is also a DO and he wanted to manipulate my lower spine. It made matters worse. What caused me concern is he had not had me take an exray of the area. I truly believe that he doesn’t give a hoot about how he is causing me to suffer. My opiate use is considered to be very low. I don’t get high on my dosage. Never wanted too. Just happy to be rid of my back pain. I just don’t understand why all the fussing over such a small dose of opiates. I’m not an abuser of this medication. I have explained this to him many times. I’m willing to work with him on this at 5 mg per month he is hell bent on 15 mg at a time. I offered to do away with my 15 mg tablets of morphine by taking 30 mg of oxycodone at night cutting my opiate use by 5 mg per day. No he has to cut it by 10mg. Causing me to go thru withdraw. Please respond. Sincerely, john.pritt@att.net

I go to Painmangement, i have been on pain pills for many years for my back. First Vicodin then o piots. I live in Florida. For the past few months I’m not seeing my regular doctors. They have two other drs. coming in that are pa and taking my meds away from me. I am in so much pain I lay on my couch in tears. I’m not wanting these meds to get high but so I can have some kind of quality of life. Cause some people are addicts which they need help, I’m being punished for it. I have given oxicotin back to the dr cause I didn’t like how it made me feel. Why is it that if your not dying you can’t have pain relief. I don’t know what I’m am going to do. I’m 65 and I’m limited on what I can do with my meds and now there taking them away what am I gonna do. I don’t want to buy off the streets. My pain will always be there and it isn’t getting better. Some thing needs to be done. You can’t take meds away from a patient that has been on them for years and think nothing of it. Then yet not even giving time to ween off them. What are we suppose to do when I’m in so much pain with out my meds I can’t clean my home, I can’t move without tears rolling down my eyes. What is this world coming to when we can’t get help for our pain. Sept.2nd 2018. We need to sign petions and give it to the President

So pleased to read that this dilemma is being addressed. My dayghter’s Quality of life has been turned upside down. She is confined to bed about 3 weeks out of the month. No longer gardens, bicycles, or does anything else she did before being cut back drastically on paid remediation!

My new Dr is screwing me royally cutting my dose so much so fast I’ve been kicked out of 4 places in last 2 yrs cuz no one can help me or look after me I was able to do for myself for 9 yrs i was on morphine even work part time but new Dr cuz mine retired I’ll be homeless and dead this winter if I don’t find a new Dr

Hello my name is Emmanuel Brown I was involved in a serious car accident about a year-and-a-half ago I was on pain medication Percocet for over a year my medication was stolen by a friend and when I went back to re-up on my medication I was given a urine test and when I came back to re up my medication they said there was no opiates in my system and it was considered unadd version so my doctor took me off my pain medication can my primary doctor put me back on my pain medication after a short period of time without losing his license thank you

I have been using the same pain management clinic for over 5 years. I was taking 30 mg of oxymorphone and 150 milligrams of oxycodone and they took me to those levels. Mind you I have had 3 spinal fusion surgeries since 2011 All performed by the same dr. Never once failed to comply with the contract either. And they took away my oxymorphone and I am now on 70 mg of er oxycodone and 40mg of ir oxycodone and it has been nothing but a absolute nightmare I take my 30 mg of the er oxy in the morning usually with very little to no relief so I have to take the ir 10 mg with usually very little pain relief!!! Usually keeps my eyes from watering but not always!!! So how the drs justify doing this to me when I have done absolutely nothing wrong is ridiculous my old regimen was working great and now because of some junkies screw it up for everybody now we all have to suffer. Opioid epidemic my – – – Elvis over dosed in 1977 after he got his dea badge from president Nixon b4 this happened oh and president Kennedy was just as bad. I think they should find somebody in the White House who truly is in chronic pain and cut there meds in less than half and then video his quality of life for the next week 24/7 so we can see it all the excruciating pain / the sleepless nights / not being able to function / not being able to have any quality of life whatsoever!!! Oh and last but not least my good old dr. who told me that you don’t want to stay on those doses cause if I get hospitalized they won’t be able to control my pain was her excuse what really really are you kidding me so I left this part out on purpose I was involved in a car accident and it wasn’t my fault. I broke my pelvic bone in 6 places I broke every rib front and back on right hand side also broke right hand also had a concussion and my wife told them what I take for pain management and they were able to confirm with my dr. And they went right back to those doses and morphine in my Iv as needed which wasn’t very much st all. I was in the hospital for appx. A month and came out on the doses I was taking b4 the accident mind you I was taking meds for back pain long b4 I switched to this clinic also with no problems oh yeah and the dr. Obviously new about accident cause they contacted office to confirm meds and we discussed it my first app. back I am so tired of this epidemic talk it’s ridiculous what about the tobacco user / alcohol users / food consumers what about those epidemics I don’t see nothing happening to them if your going to control my life and the amount of pain med I can use than why don’t you do that for all the other epidemics going on in this world!!! Make America great again take away chronic pain patients meds that will make everything better what a joke and almost as big of a joke as potus!!!! Please dr.s get a back bone and stand up for your patients after all we are the ones paying your bills and it seems like you guys could care less how much pain we are in, hospital won’t be able to control your pain what a joke lame excuse if I ever heard one we need to stand united on this front because what is happening is totally unfair after all you put us on the levels we are at I highly doubt any of your patients were giving you an ultimatum on what drugs to prescribe and how much and now all you guys are worried about is losing your jobs I am all for the start of better controlling it but don’t punish us patients who have been taking these meds for years without any problems just leave us alone and start fresh just like we should do with the potus let’s start fresh with a real man or woman running our country no disrespect to the ones who voted for him or still support him but you might want to look at the whole pic” he is not making our country great again it has always been great” # senator John McCain!!! With all that being said I wish and hope and pray that we can figure out a way to control everybody’s pain in this I doubt it though not going st it like this this is all us chronic pain patients have us our meds and now your taking them away sad sad sad very very sad peace love and happiness to all I will say a prayer for everyone out there suffering in pain because our dr.s in this world our weak gat a back bone please and for the love of Jane stand up for your patients cause we would stand up for you if need be!!!!!

THIS IS A REAL PROBLEM YOU START CUTTING HONEST PEOPLE OFF YOUR GOING TO HAVE A REAL PROBLEM. MORE ST. BUYING, MAYBE STRONGER THAN YOU ALREADY HAVE CHEAPER IF YOU DO YOUR SHOPPING. I WARE # 13 SHOES CAN YOU WALK IN THEM? Honest PEOPLE are the ones to get hurt.buyin under the table,EASY! SAME DAY DELIVERY.

I have Parkinson’s,fibromyalgia,sojdren syndrome,degenerative disc disorder I have had 2 back surgeries in the past year. One being a fusion. I have chronic pain muscle pain and spasms and tremors. I started on non narcotic medication along with all injections therapy water,massage,chiropractors. After my second surgery I got out on pain patch pain medication and relaxers along with all my therapies I was able to have some quality of life back. Now my meds are being taken with no reason except that I shouldn’t have pain and the dr doesn’t know how to treat me other than to take my meds. Without sending to some specialists who may be able to help. I just started seeing him 3 months ago because I moved so he has only written me 3 prescriptions and has cut my meds twice drastically. It is to fast without good reason or sending me to someone who might be able to help. My quality of life is going away and pain is to bad to get up to do my therapy. I don’t mind dropping down but not completely I still want a life. What can I do?

I too have been denied hydrocodone for my severe sciatica and arthritis. My original dosage was 4x daily if needed. My Dr. retired and I was forced to seek out a new Dr. Then he started cutting everyone off fir fear of losing his license. Then I moved and yet again had to seek out a new Dr. I have seen 4 different people in this new office and each one gave me the run around about different info needed from my previous Dr. Moving from Indiana to Kentucky guidelines are different I understand but this is CRAZY! I’ve been without my pain meds for almost 6 months and it’s hard to get out of bed some days and nights I cry because I hurt sooo bad.I’m about ready to walk out in front of a truck. Also this new Dr won’t prescribe my xanax unti I see a psychiatrist…What kind if BS is that? No wonder people go through illegal lengths. And they haven’t stopped a damn thing. They’ve only made it worse for people like me!!!!!

Dr. Take an oath to have best interest of patient, and government told dr to use best judgement I have chronic pain. Don’t abuse my drugs I need them to walk my dr took me off my pain meds said he was threatened by attorney general he would loss his license to dr now I have no quality of life. This is against my rights so what about a pain shot

All Doctors have stopped giving pain medication. The DEA has threatened my Dr. and he is
a surgeon, that they will take is license. Every Doctor I know and have heard about will not give pain meds anymore. For me that means a choice. Street drugs or suicide. And that’s after becoming an alcoholic. Time will be the proof, but who has that kind of time. FYI if anyone shows up at my house to commit me. I will end it.

What do you do when your current opioid medications are not covering your pain enough to function, like putting on your pants. I’m at maximum dosage of oxycodone but my back problems have escalated. Since I had lung cancer I am not a candidate for surgery. I can’t sleep because of the pain and painkillers keep me awake. I’ve hurt in the range of 8-10 for over 3 months. My Dr told me I can’t have any higher dosage-ever, no matter what happens. My heart rate is 100 or above. What does it take to be prescribed a higher dose? Do I have to have cancer again?

I had extensive back surgery in February of 2018 and they messed up and now I need to have another surgery. I’m in a lot more pain now than I was before and because of the opioid crisis why doctors are not giving me enough or the right kind of medicine for my pain and I’m literally almost losing my mind with pain. What should I do?

Hi Tamara this is bill I usually don’t reply to people but this very same thing 2me and if I were you in my opinion and I do express this us just a opinion but if I were you I would call Dr. Back and explain how the current medicine is not controlling your pain and then instead of trying to explain or describe your pain give them a pain number on scale 1 to 10 unless they ask for more info don’t offer just be short and sweet and to the point and also make sure you have the right amount of pills left cause more than likely they are going to ask that you bring them in to office when you pick up your new script!!! Good luck 2 u. Bill

Forget you and the horse you rode in on. My doctor of 17 years just cut me off cold turkey and dumped me like a lepor. I absolutely cannot get any help from any doctor, and am forced to take methadone, regardless of the horrible side effects I experience, it’s all I can take…or should I say, it’s the only thing they will offer me. Except Subox, which I’m allergic to. I hope some psycho goes on a rampage and kills as many doctors as possible…all of them for all I care. Even thinking like this, I’m no worse than any doctor.

Hello, I am not having a problem with my doctor prescibing my percocet. I have a chronic autoimmune illness that causes me extreme pain. I care for my elderly mother as well and lifting her is difficult with my pain. I ran to 3 pharmacies tonight and they all said they were out of the medication and didn’t know when they wrreach getting their order. This is not right. What am I supposed to do. I DO NOT abuse my meds. Please help me.

Connie,
I hope by now you have managed to find help. If you have a script, go to the nearest ER and ask if they will fill it. Some hospitals have pharmacies that will fill a doctor’s prescription if that doctor has privileges there. If they won’t fill it, demand that they give you the name of a pharmacy that will. Either they will tell you or call security. Don’t start a riot, but someone there probably knows or can find out where you can go.

If that doesn’t work, see if there is a pain management clinic in your area. They may or may not take you as a patient, but since they work with patients who require opiate prescriptions, they likely know where their patients have their prescriptions filled.

Unfortunately, due to the government’s refusal to differentiate between a legitimate patient and a recreational addict, we are all labeled as either an addict or having a physiological dependency. The entire mess is unforgivable. Telling you that you are not alone in the boat isn’t going to make you pain or mine disappear. I do understand though. As I write this, I stand on the edge of the cliff myself. Like you, i never abused any of my prescriptions during the entire 14 years I have been on them. Remember, you are not at fault, and you did nothing wrong. We were shoved aside by politicians who apparently prize votes over human rights and decency.

Don’t waste energy running to various pharmacies. Call instead. If the pharmacy you call says they can’t fill your prescription, push them to tell you where you can have them filled. They probably have access to that information on their computers, and its not like they have to make a zillion phone calls themselves.

All you can do until you find a pharmacy is use heat or cold, over the counter medications and learn new cuss words. I wish I had more to offer.

Yes I hyperextened. My knee 8 weeks ago and hospitol gave me an ace bandage and cream went to my doctor a week later and she said I would have to wait six weeks for mri approval meenwhile I’m in exscrushiating pain can put no weight on my leg at all she won’t give me anything what should I do I researched it on internet it matches symptoms of torn acl I’m about ready to find black market solution I found it but I’m scared to try it

I’m in the same boat as everyone else here. How do we fight this? It inhuman yo cut someone off their pain meds your not just inflicting pain on them, what about the withdraw people go through? Many will lose their jobs etc. Too much suffering is going to happen. Too many innocent people are going to get hurt here. We have to do something quickly? Please keep me informed. Anyone with any idea’s or class action in the making? I’m fighting for my life here too.

This is all just awful! Same has happened to me.. My Dr totally cut me off of my medicine and my leg spasms so bad I tried to take my own life 3 times now and Ive never been In so much pain and have no future or desire to live this way.You stated to call the college to report a Dr and I definitely want to do something about this what he’s done to me is so very wrong so could you please forward info on this college place to me in E-mail ASAP !!! He needs to be stopped before someone else gets hurt. Be greatly appreciated. My E-mail: b.ziems@outlook.com.

I totally agree that something must be done, but on a large scale. I’m in the process of writing a letter to President Trump in defense of those who need pain meds to work and function in everyday life. It is my goal to obtain a minimum of 500,00 signatures from registered voters. I wouldn’t waste your time on reporting this particular doctor, simply find another PMD. Try Google and reading reviews

I have chronic pain in my body from a head on collision in 87. My back has several slipped discs, degenerative disc disease. My leg got caught under the dash and ripped my knee off, heel bone split in two had a pin in it. Severe whiplash which left pain in my neck after 30 years all these injuries have made my life a hell in pain. My lungs were bruised due to the 200 miles per hour impact, I still have pain in my chest. I then got a rare disease called Behçet’s disease that affect my whole body because it’s inflamation of the blood vessels and compounds my injuries. The pain is brutal and I have been on life saving fentalyne patches for ten years, at 225 ml for pain. I have lived relatively pain free for ten years but on Friday my pain specialist handed me a death sentence. She said that she would be tapering me off fentalyne in three months! I was in shock not knowing what to say or do. First she offered me OxyContin and then denied it once I got home and thought about it. She wants to put me on suboxone which does nothing for the pain. So I am basically screwed. I live in Quebec, that’s my only hope to find a doctor here to prescribe fentalyne to me. I think they are causing people in pain like me more problems than fixing this opiate problem, and shame on them tapering people already on opiates
Getting them off of them is not the answer, it’s a death sentence to them.

I am in physical pain everyday of my life. From 2003 to 2008, I was prescribed various short term pain meds. In 2009, I started looking into long term pain meds and came across a pamphlet for Kadian. After one week of taking this drug, I was back on my feet like never before and even landed a job. I also took Norco as need for breakthrough pain. In 2012, I decided to taper off the Kadian and only take Norco. Long story short, I was seen by 3 different PMDs from 2013 to 2015 and was regarded by all as a model patient. Beginning in 2015/2016 and thru to 2017 and still a model patient, various PMDs decreased my pain meds and without discussing the decrease with me prior to writing the script. The knee jerk reaction to decrease my pain meds had nothing to do with my level of pain, but due to the pressures being put on all doctors that prescribe pain meds. Tired of being held hostage by the whims of doctors and governing agencies, I decided to get off pain meds by way of Subutex. I cannot stress enough how much I hate this drug as I have experienced every documented side effect and then some. What’s more, I wake up each morning with the physical ailments of a 90-year old woman. I now live with constant pain and cannot work due to the pain and inconsistent effects of the Subutex. I’ve given great consideration to going back on Norco or Kadian, but haven’t taken any steps yet due to the new opioid drug laws. “The powers that be” have certainly messed things up for people that need pain meds in order to work and live a normal life.

I suffer from chronic pain. I am 67 and have NEVER abused a prescription. I don’t because I have to have this to survive. I made a stupid decision to get weaned off of Fentanyl, so stupid, I had taken for 11 years at the same dosage and could lead a somewhat normal life. The only side effect I had was constipation. Well, I’m off of it and taking pain pills and am in hell. I basically live my life on the couch. Don’t drive now much but before could drive three hours away to visit my daughter and grandkids, no more. Missed a 50th reunion I would have loved to attend but no way I could. This is not a life, it barely is an existence.

I do not feel this is the right thing to do. They should not cut patients doses who have lifetime illnesses such as M.S .I can’t smoke weed and I don’t drink,so I guess people like me are just left to suffer. M.S is not my only problem but I can’t get back surgery because Dr’s can’t give prescriptions as they should. It’s a crying shame that our government is turning into a dictatorship.

I’m very concerned about doctors’ refusal to provide narcotics for pain control. I recently had dental surgery and the dentist refused to prescribe pain medication. He told me to take ibuprofen. I have severe GERD related to Sjogren’s Syndrome and can’t tolerate NSAIDS. Fortunately, I am a nurse and work in a hospital with a doctor who was more concerned with controlling pain than jumping on the anti-drug bandwagon. He prescribed T#3 which was a life saver. I’m worried that we are going back to the days when pain was “acceptable.”

I was reading your article on the opioid dosing. I am diagnosed bladder cancer, tumors on 1 of my kidneys. 4 cervical herniations, 3 lumbar herniations. It all started with a work injury. Was initially given 80mg oxycontin, 15 yrs later I’m down to 6 30mg oxycodone a day, which equal out to 180mg a day. Now their trying to just give me 60mg a day. I k ow I will be hurting and sick I’m in the u.s, what can I do…need help. Dr’s are just scared to write now.thx J.F.

I have been on opiods for a number of years. As written above , I’m terrified of being cut off. After multiple fractures due to a motor vehicle accident, I’m only getting worse. I lie on the forms that ask how my over all health is due to making peace. This has landed me in an unfunctional life.
I’m 39 and life’s only proving to show that the pain will persist.

Shannon,
when you talk to your Dr., be upfront and don’t oversell or undersell your pain and how it has effected your life. Either one can bite you in the a– later. Before you talk to your Dr., make a list of how your pain is changing your life. Once in the office, it is sometimes difficult to remember all the points you wanted to make. If your current physician is a GP, you might want to see if he will refer you to a pain management clinic. Pain management is a specialty all its own, and doctors who work out of those clinics are used to dealing with chronic pain and secondary depression, anxiety and anger. Most areas have a pain management clinic, and with the new opiate guidelines, your Dr. might be happy to refer you rather than attempt to treat you on their own.

Given the emotional temperature of issues surrounding the CDC guidelines for opiate prescription reductions, this may not be a popular stand.

Doctors working in or owning pain management clinics have become the target for angry chronic pain patients who have relied on their opiate and benzodiazepine prescriptions at therapeutic doses to live and function, taken away from them. The truth is, the doctors are not the ones pulling the strings. They are just the last person in the chain between the government and you. Working in a pain management clinic must be a lot like being an oncologist. Many of your patients will never get better. The best you can do is make them as comfortable as possible and understand the depression, anxiety and anger many chronic pain patients feel. Being a Dr. in any field is stressful, but in many branches of medicine, most of your patients recover, and are reasonably happy. Rarely if ever seeing your patients return to 100% year after year can easily turn into burnout. You know your long term patients well, because they come in frequently and often deteriorate over the years. That is one hell of an emotional overload.

Why am I telling you this? No, I am not an M.D. but I am a long term chronic pain patient who has been on 24/7 opiates and benzodiazepines for well over a decade. Having had the displeasure of 3/4ths of each opiate medication and discontinuation of my benzodiazepine altogether in a five month time span, I would sure as Hell tell you if I thought doctors had control of this government sanctioned torture. I was lucky. My Dr. had the balls to hold out on enforcing the guidelines until he had no choice. He also slowed the taper time. My system has not recovered, nor do I hold out hope that it ever will.

Doctors who work with opiates and benzodiazepines can still prescribe both classes of drugs. Just not together in the same person, and not in the doses many patients require for relief. There has always been an element of fear every time an opiate or benzo is prescribed. Doctors can have drug logs and patient records audited by the DEA anytime. Translation, if you have a fair number of patients that you are prescribing opiates/benzos for, your chances of being noticed are higher than a physician who does not prescribe them very often. There are rules regarding patient records and drug logs, some of them petty. You make a mistake, you have to cross it out and inniticial it. The original words or letters you cross out have to be easily read under the slash. Losing a license or being called for a failing to follow those rules, or having a discrepancy in your drug law is enough to cause a problem.

Under those pressures, it is no wonder that some physicians seem defensive about the opiate issue. They are caught in the middle between the patients they swore to treat to the best of their ability and a government guideline that prevents them from doing so. I’m sure there are doctors who are cold and conservative, but most don’t seem to be. If you corner your pain management Dr. and complain that your dose is too low and push him to tell you why he is being so stubborn, or why can’t he raise your dose, he can’t just answer “the government made me do it”.

Having spent considerable time hounding and bombarding the FDA, Senators, the CDC etc. etc., about how unjust, cruel and unforgivable their guidelines are, I am no closer to getting a sufficient answer. By the time new law and guidelines are passed, how many more people will have committed suicide? Do the doctors and politicians even bother to think about the chronic pain patients currently suffering under the guidelines as they pour themselves another alcoholic drink? I doubt it. Odd, isn’t it? Chronic pain patients cannot be prescribed opiates and benzodiazepines at doses that are necessary to relieve their pain, yet drinking alcohol purely as a means of relaxation has no limits. As long as you are an adult and not driving or making a scene you can drink as much as you can stomach. Don’t waste time getting angry at the doctors. Direct it at the source. The politicians and president whats his name.

What can us pain mangamemt people do ? We need are meds to get by Day to day I can’t stand this . I’m thinking about going to heroin I’m starting to think that’s what’s left to do or jest die .. omg the pain is so much… my pain management gave me seizure pills?? They don’t help lol ?? Wth too do ?

I have stage 4 glioblastoma brain cancer, fibromyalgia, a second benign brain tumor, arthritis in my neck, hands, feet, spine etc, migraines due to my brain cancer and a few other health problems. My doctors are afraid to treat my pain for fear they’ll lose their license to practice medicine so I am given 10mg of Oxycontin, 4 a day. That’s a child’s dose.
My legs have atrophied due to lack of use because of the pain I am in which is excruciating and prevents me from having any quality of life.
And to add insult to injury the state (medicaid) will take my family home that I inherited when my father passed away and who built the home himself.

I’ve suffered with pain my whole life. I’m 38 and I was given Tylenol 3 month before 13 birthday! Since then my problems have gotten million times worse. I’ve been diagnosed with Osteoporosis Arthritis, Scoliosis, Disk Degenerative Diease, Fibromyalgia and moved to chronic serve fibro. Since 16 my kneecap completely dislocate sitting in outside of leg until put back into place myself. First time happens was 4 hours away from hospital on commercial fishing boat and popped in myself and Eachtime go hospital they don’t pop in one quick motion slowly twist turn and this has totally made problems worse and now other parts pop out.. Before going hosptal it only popped out to side after allowing dr to do it, my kneecap now moves in all and any direction! My shoulders pop out and hip has few times. And because of dislocation or joints poppin out I’ve barely got 30% of cartilage left in all joints so now it’s all bone on bone! After trying any and all combinations of meds I finally got comfortable with combo of pain meds and pot oil. Then I was told that I had to atleast try methadone program. (Which had already done) I was put on fentynal patch 72 hour one.. But because meds released in small waves and when pain came and not meds, pain caused body temp to rise which sucked out 3rds days meds which left me worse on 3rd day. So I was seeing 2 methadone Drs and both said I could go back to my meds. But instead of fighting which know would make worse I listened. First put on suboxone.. Helped so wasn’t sick from no meds but did nothing for pain. Then switched to methadone. And kept telling new methadone dr it wasn’t lasting 24 hours and was suffering bad and not sleeping.. He just increased Eachtime told him this. So I went from 40mgs upto 390mg is like month or month half,. Then in small town drug store started changing hours. Dr said if missed drugstore it would be brought for me take at hospital. When went pick up new nurse asked how my last ecg was? Told him didn’t have it in like 10 years.. He was shocked and brought me do one.. After he said there’s number in heart and if goes to 550 heart stops, well mine was at 535!!! He was so mad dr never even done one and one more dose would’ve killed me! And back pain was so bad, he admitted me into hospital. My dr came with locom or trainin dr.. And this was only time he listened to me when someone else in room.. My grandpa used be ambulance driver.. Well when my pain got bad started feel like goin have heart attack, heart rate went to 175-200/min.. And also pain so bad in feet, ankles, knees, thighs that they were just giving out! I shake, puke and have no idea what’s happening hen pains bad.. Few times I’ve blacked out walking bathroom.. Woke up and both my kids balling eyes out on both sides of me had put pillow under head and covered with blanket and my daughters 14 son is 6.. They said I was knocked out for over hour, my kids sit here watchinme shaking puking fainting dropping cause pain so bad.. Now what kills me the most, I had make my family take them. My kids were scared to leave me didn’t want go school and after refuse to go do anything. Before they moved My son was out playing, came running in said mom can you come out beach? (Live on waterfront) said sorry Mommys too sore. His head dropped walked down hall grabbed pillow blanket my purse. Put pillow d own helped me lift legs to lay down covered with blanket and went grabbed glass of water brought over then passed me my purse.. He said here momma as he’s rubbing my face… Take your medicine and lay down then we can go out later.. Then really started balling my eyes out. Said mommy doesn’t have that medicine.. Came over dropped on couch beside my got unde blanket and as he’s rubbing my hair and face he said why don’t have that one no more? You used make pancakes every morning before school, come school for reading lunches teacher meeting class progress show tell. Then we used go to beach to park and out visiting then walk store come home make yummy dinner and play with me until bed time.. And now you don’t get out of bed!! Omfg that broke my heart hearing this from my 6 year old.. My dr lived few houses away, his son played with mine told him go tell dr what he said about meds.. Brought my kids to next appointment. I said how screwed up is it that my 6 year old can fully understand concept that I could fully function an do everything needed to raise my kids with my pain meds and all you so called educated people can’t?!? Told him that I’m now forced make them leave live with family. I said it’s not fair or right Or any kind of life for them watch me suffer.. I’m not putting it on them to look after me! I said now you see about me needing my meds… He said well we don’t want you here for them for 20-30 years.. I said if this is how my life is going be I won’t make 2-3 months! I said my sons dogs got arthritis and I’ve got pay 125$ month for meds for dog and if don’t get it they report me and I’m charged with animal cruelty!! My Gramp says all time they shoot horses for 1/10 of what I go thru!! I said I would rather have my meds and give my kids great 5-10 years with amazing memories before I cannot move at all.. Instead of 20-30 bedridden where don’t eat or sleep or even get up be with them or spend time after school.. And what’s even worse, I’ve totally agreed to do random pill counts, ransoms pee tests and anything else they want… Meanwhile I can name 12-15 people, I can tell you what kind of meds they get, what milligram, number of pills, which dr prescribed it, which day they get them… And not one of them have 1/8 of problems that I do and they don’t take any of the meds they get.. And here I am begging for them to be able to do anything with and for my kids! It’s beyond screwed up.. Just like government making every one get courses for guns and registering them.. The actual people use them right for hunting getting screwed over but it’s not affecting the ones using it kill each other! It’s very very sad what happens in our country/province! I just sat down told my daughter I’ve got do not resesitste order on my file.. And I’ve done everything college asked for and still am one screwed over.. Just after Christmas watching news with my Gramp and it said that it’s now legal for Doctor assisted suicide if nothing can be done help or stop suffering!!! Told dr I know what works it took 20 years get it right… Told dr next apt I’m making write letter to college, sending me n my lawyer saying if they don’t or aren’t going change what dr is giving me I want the assisted suicide! Know that one fall can screw me up making me vegatable and I’m not putti it on my kids do everything for me! Nice know all drug addicts are still gettin free meds to shoot or sell!

I’ve also get chronic migraines, makes my eyes blurry and unable focus, I can’t go from looking at tv to remote or remote to tv it’s constant blurr, I’m also blacking out and dropping from chronic pain… I’ve explained to dr that with my pain meds I was able to stop and manage my proble,s way before getting this bad but they don’t listen or care.. My kids are going live with family for good because I can’t suffer anymore and when I suffer I hurt them and I’m not going do this anymore!!

My husband has Parkinson’s disease, he needs oxycodone. He was on oxycodone from Pain Management he was doing fabulous on him he doesn’t abuse them he takes them for pain he wakes up like a pretzel hardly being able to walk. They will not give him oxycodone and because they only gave him 5 mg if he had a bad day with whatever he should have the doctor then killed the contract. He’s had two Hip surgeries surgeries and Parkinson’s disease he’s in pain at all times on his chart in the hospital it says do not give him. He is not a pill junkie he needs help with pain. Not Levaquin that makes me vomit not something else you gave him that makes him vomit the only thing normally. I wonder if it happened in anybody else’s family that were doctors or nurses how long it would take for them to write a prescription for oxycodone

I live in Florida and my pain management doctor lied to me and told me that they were stopping production on fentanyl patches in January. I spoke to pharmacist and she told that was not true. i also spoke to mt friend who is an RN and she also confirmed it was a lie. I suffer from debilating chronic pain, i thought i was safe from the new laws but apparantely that
is not the case. I am currently being tapered off of my fentanyl patches thati usually wear every 48 hours 100mcg. That’s
how much pain I’m in. I suffer from fybromyalgia, osteoarthritis, levoscoliosis, thoracic convex scoliosis, lumber convex scoliosis. i also suffer almost daily migraines and vomiting due to the pain and i have to take botox shots and take pepcid orally. i also have three herniated discs, one in the cervical and two in the lumbar area and pinched nerves, cervicalgia and neuralgia and anxiety due to pain. Help me what can i do to stop this weaning off my medication.

I am a Respiratory Therapist and work in a very busy hospital 4 days a week, 12 hr shifts. Last week alone, I saw 3 overdoses come to the ER via ambulance. All three had to be revived and put on ventilators…two lived, one died. I say this because I want you to know that I am very aware of the serious and scary opiate addiction crisis before I make my next few statements.
Recently, I suffered a back injury and am now about to have surgery. I can barely hold down my job because I am in severe pain. I went to my primary doctor and he said:
“I wish I could prescribe you something to help you because you really do need it (based on my MRI, BP elevated from pain, etc…), but the government won’t let me. I am so sorry. I’m getting you to a surgeon ASAP.”
REALLY?? I have never needed anything for pain in my life before but I do now! So I can’t get anything for pain relief because people before me decided to abuse their medications? I just have to cry, suffer, and “suck it up” because of what other people have done and it pisses me off!!
I am blessed to be a part of a team that saves lives every time I go to work. But who’s going to help me? News flash: not everyone is an “addict”!!

It’s not fair to us who have been with there doctor for years without any complications. The majority of these people coming into the e.r. Have gotten there drugs illegally or off the street so please don’t lump everybody into that category cause that’s not the case just be thankful that you have not had pain for years 24/7 I have had 3 spinal fusions since 2011 and have a contract I had to sign with p.m.d. And never once did I break the rules. I hope your surgery cures all your pain and you can live a pain free life the rest of your life. Peace may god bless you and your family!!!

Your article & the comments are very interesting. I’ve had several orthopedic surgeries since July, 2014 on my left leg. I’ve been on fentanyl patches (100mcg) & oxycodone 10mg x 6-8pills a day for 4 years. My orthopedic surgeon had to medically retire & my primary physician can not prescribe the same. Most pharmacies won’t even refill the above prescriptions. I’ve tried to taper off, but now that I’m down to 3 pills & 1 patch (I’m trying to wait as long as possible to put it on) I’m becoming more & more sick. In severe pain, having headaches, shaking, sick at my stomach. Etc. I hate alcohol, but trying to take shots to make it easier because there’s not much choice. Now that doctors and emergency rooms are so scared 2 refill prescriptions or will not refill prescriptions for whatever reason, what are we supposed to do? It is on the news daily how many deaths there are and how many doctors are giving out too many prescriptions excetera, but what are people like me supposed to do? I have contacted pain management doctors which do not have appointments for new patients available for 6 to 8 weeks. The Orthopaedic that took over for my doctor who medically retired is supposed to see me October 15th for my 3 month post op, but he will not prescribe opiates. My last surgery was July 2nd so I’m not even to my 3 months post-op for the last surgery and the pain is almost unbearable. I find it very unfortunate that the government is sticking their nose in where they do not belong to tell doctor’s how they can prescribe and to tell Pharmacy’s how much they can fill. I even had a cvs pharmacy tell me they are at their quota for filling opiates this month before knowing my name or prescription or anything. They only asked if I had an opiate prescription and said they were at their limit for the month. I am in the United States (Florida) and was just wondering what people who genuinely need this or who have been on this for many years are supposed to do or how we can cope Cope? I’m not and have not taken more than my doctor prescribe daily, but it certainly does feel dangerous stopping cold turkey. How do we continue living?

Thank you first of all to everyone leaving these posts. I felt so alone today through the pain and suffering. Everyone put things in perspective and said exactly what is going on. I have been on pain meds for 30 years for a combination of health issues. I have severe back and neck pain. Have serious nerve damage due to liposuction done incorrectly 20 years ago by a doctor who didn’t know what is he was doing and lastly 6 brain surgeries for a spontaneous spinal fluid leak that still is not fixed. After my doctor for 25 years retired, I had to search for a new doctor…easier said the done. During the last 15 years I thought I had found Doctors who knew what they were doing. One doctor who seemed to be compassionate and caring put me on an insane amount of pain medicine. This was not what I wanted. I wanted the minimal dose so that I could get out of bed, perform by job, come home and take care of my family. I did not want to be out of it or high I simply wanted to live my life with excruciating, debilitating pain. I left this doctor and found another. He was wonderful. Had me on a minimal amount of pain medicine and also gave me injections every few months which helped as well. I was under his care for several years when he was arrested for Medicaid fraud. I found another doctor who I have seen for two years. He also had my pain medicine on a minimal dose even less then the doctor before him. My life was going great, no problems at all. Six months ago his office called me for a pill count which is routine these days. I explained that I was out of town with my son who was going through a child custody court case and would not be back within the 24 hour period given. When I returned, I provided the documentation to show the doctor that I was indeed in court and wasn’t just making something up. Three months ago I lost my mother and last week my father. While at my Father’s funeral someone took my wallet and medicines out of my purse. I did not notify my doctor because I do know that they will not fill in advance because of all the changes in the recent years. I am also someone who believes in telling their doctor the truth about how things are going no matter what. I have never failed a monthly drug screen and I have never missed another pill count. Today, however, I was cut off. He sited that I broke the pain management contract for when I was in court and someone taking my medicine. I did not sell my medicine or give it away but it was stolen from me. He said he recognized that and he also said he knows I provided the documentation proving I was in court the time I missed but that a break in a contract is a break none the less. I was shocked and upset to say the least. I never saw this coming. The government has doctors so paranoid and scared that those of us in true chronic pain return to a non-functioning life and those that do not need the medication in the first place still get it to sell and make money. Oh and I forgot to mention the doctor offered to put me on Suboxone for help with withdrawal. When I got home I looked up Suboxone and number 5.15 of their phamplet warns again the risk of an increase in cerebral spinal fluid pressure. There is no way I can run the risk of another brain surgery, I almost didn’t survive the last one. So once again I will be trying to find a doctor to help me deal with this unbearable pain. If you are not lucky finding a doctor and go to another they say you are pill shopping. I am tired of being an honest person in pain that seems to get screwed over by the government and all the other people taking these meds and not needing them in the first place. I am tired of being labeled something I am not. I am also so very tired of this roller coaster ride. Is there not a doctor out there that understands that every now and then things happen out of our control. Does a 2 year long problem free doctor – patient relationship not say anything. My children are both upset because they know without a doubt I will return to a life of bed rest and will have to try to find another job because I cannot perform the physical aspects of my new job without something for the pain. I should not be doing it anyway but the hourly wage helped me financially that with something for pain at the end of the day and something in the morning I could. Would someone please let me know if there is a support group for all of us because I too could not find the Facebook page. I will be praying for all of you as well.

I’ve recently been properly weened from Oxycodone and Fenranyl Patches. I have chronic pain from Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Rsynauds,Sjogrens Syndrome,
Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis, Hupoglycemia, Colognes Colitis, Chrinic Lufeling Insomnia and Chronic Lifelong
Anxiety. The first month off opioids was okay, BUT, my rheumatologist CUT THE AMOUNTS AND STRENGTHS IF MY SLEEPING PILLS AND TRANQUILIZERS, for fear of government regulation retribution. Therefore I run out of sleep meds ten to fifteen days before new RX can be issued. As you would imagine, considering I CAN NOT SLEEP
Without them, I become sleep deprived, my anxiety level goes sky high( I worry the entire month about running out if meds and not sleeping) and the vicious cycle begins. My pain is constant and after that first month off the opioids becomes increasingly worse daily. I’ve also put on fifteen or more pounds( I don’t check anymore) since I’ve been completely off and my sleep isn’t regular, and I’m eating VERY CAREFULLY and haven’t eaten alit fir years. I’ve tried meditation, exercise, and
Tylenol. My pain management Dr. Tried every type of alternative drug to opioids and for sleep, None if them worked,even Medical Marijuana! The Marujuana and some of the alternative meds made me MORE ANXIOUS AND MADE MY BODY FEEL HEAVY, not relaxed, pain free or tired. My rheumatologist still prescribed and has fir years Dulixetine 90mg. Once daily and Mycofenolate 1000mg. Twice daily, and pericardial for Raynauds Disease and Pilicarpine for Sjogrens Syndrome,Raberprazole for GURD and of course the usual vitamins, supplements and calcium etc. Gabapentin did NOTHING,(629mg. 3times daily, and Linzess, Metamucil,Benefiber, and Colace don’t work for colitis, only SIX EX-LAX DAILY WORK AND THAT NEEDS TI BE REGULATED IF I INTEND TO KEAVE THE HOUSE. I can’t get an appt. with my gastoenterologist until the end of November. Do you have any advice for me PLEASE!!!!!

I was recently to elite pain management and they just recently dismissed me because I was still taking xanax now I’m cut off all pain meds cold turkey how can they be justified by doing this after I had been taking methadone for over 15 years?

Their doing it with tramadol too now. I was seeing a dr for ten years dealing with chronic back pain from being in a accident when I was 35. My tramadol dose increased from one 25mg pill a day to five 25mg pills a day. When my dr left the practice my new dr instantly cut me off she gave me a 15 day tapered supply only and wont refill my prescription. Now my pain is so unbearable as well as the side affects of withdrawal. I feel sick all the time and I am very depressed. It’s getting so bad I’m constantly debating about getting something illegally or just saying screw it and commit suicide. Hopelessly lost Charles.

I am also one that has been cutback.
I have multiple sclerosis brachial plexus spinal stenosis a bad back polycythemia vera I’m 65 and I managed to stay out of a wheelchair for now and yes the pain gets very severe to where I’m almost bedridden my normal family Dr was put out of business due to this law and yes the pain has got so severe that I’ve actually thought about going to do whatever it takes to get relief to have a halfway decent normal life where I can function laying in bed screaming curled up from this is not a way to live so yes it’s gotten to the point I feel like I’m being punished because of this

A lot of doctors these days couldn’t care less if you take opioids correctly or not. They only care about themselves.
As a severe chronic neuropathy pain patient for 14 years I’ve come to realize that I have far more control over what
I can do about this injustice and now finally have a solution to my ongoing pain issues and that solution is strong, homemade cannabis tincture. I take 3 small drops of my tincture in some orange juice 3 times per day and my pain
is manageable, usually a “2” on the 10-point pain rating scale. I no longer let any doctor push me around, especially
when it comes to my chronic pain. I’ve got all the power now thanks to cannabis tincture.

I know drug abuse is a epidemic widespread however I am a chronic pain patient treated with both long acting opiate and quick release for breakthrough pain. After trying steroidal injections in my spine, my facet joints twice, physical therapy several different times through the years as well as acupuncture and about every type of anti inflammatory drug as well as muscle relaxers of every kind and 13 surgeries later my life is excruciating daily chronic pain. I did everything my physicians recommended I try, do and take. I have felt at times like killing myself since I didn’t have a very good quality of life. It wasn’t a choice to live my life on pain medications it became a must to have some quality of life given back to me. I’d tried through trial an error about every pain med. legally prescribed. Morphine had bad affects on my kidneys where I ended up needing kidney surgery. That is when my doctor discussed Oxycontin with me. I chose to give it a try as I still had 2 minor daughters at home and a husband which I wanted and deserved to do for them and enjoy life with them as any mother/wife would/should want with their loved ones. My mobility issues had taken enough away from me and my family. Once on Oxycontin my quality of life improved dramatically. This was before the change of gel or goo was added. No they didn’t work a full 12 hours more like 10 full hours so I knew to rest those last two hours until time for my next dosage. I’ve been on Oxycontin for right at 20 years now. Of course my dosage had to be regulated after several years at that dosage. After 17 years later I’d been adjusted to 80mg take 2 every 6 hours and given 15mg oxycodone as needed for breakthrough pain. I had been at a lower dose until the goo was added to keep abusers from crushing them up for different methods of taking them. The end result was they no longer was slowly releasing properly it was kicking in and out over about a 6 to 7 hour period. So this caused my dosage to be adjusted up trying to compensate for once a very good pain medicines flaws from the goo. Also I’m pretty sure the goo is playing havoc with my intestines. When doctors were feeling their hands were tied from caring for their patients. Doctors that had a good patient doctor relationship with and had been monitoring their chronic pain patients closely in my case 30+ years whom I trusted him as a knowledgeable doctor that I trusted with my life. Yet here he feared loosing his license if he continued treating me for my chronic pain. He referred me out to a Pain Management Center at a University Hospital that’s well known around the world. My PM doctor is a Anesthesiologist who immediately told me at my dosage she was forced to tapper me down or loose her doctors license. How due to policy the most she could keep me on was 2 of the 60mg Oxycontin and change my 15mg to 10mg Oxycodone for breakthrough pain. I cried and expressed my concern since many years ago I’d been at that dosage for years until it stopped allowing me a quality of life where I could still function somewhat. Purdue in its warnings pamphlet warns dosage has to be adjusted up over time to get the same effects. My PM doctor at first cut down 1 80mg in half to a 40mg, then next time seeing her she dropped whole 80s off at one time and immediately changed to 10mg as well. It through me into constant withdrawal not to mention my pain levels off the charts. I discussed this with her so she told me to substitute a 80mg with taking 4 10mg oxycodone. They do not work the same and should never be substituted in that way. My pharmacist noticed and had concerns about how fast I was tampering down and how it was being done. I ask if he could call my doctor to discuss this as I was really bad off. He called her, they disagreed with each other, end result she told him never advise her patient about my medication. After rapidly being weaned down she stopped when she had taken me from 2 80mg 3x a day (6 Total Oxycontin) to now 1 60mg 3x day & instead of 15mg oxycodone take as needed which some days I didn’t take unless I was having a worse than normal pain day to taking the 10mg take 1 4xday no matter what. Now I read states are suing drug manufacturers for the drug epidemic. It’s not right in my opinion. States say they want reimbursement for money it’s caused their state. To my knowledge police etc…are paid to be at work rather it be one crime vs another type crime that’s what they are suppose to be getting paid to do. Our taxpayer money is suppose to be paying those cost. It’s us patients out here suffering that truly suffer chronic pain and have medical records to prove it. I for one am thankful to Purdue for manufacturing Oxycontin as it’s treated my chronic pain and gave me quality of life better than any other pain med. I’ve taken which I am not aware of any I didn’t try that’s a legal medication. Policies should not restrict a physician from being able to prescribe their chronic pain patient the amount/dosage that’s right for that particular patient and their needs. I’ve never felt high, out of control etc…. only less pain where I could function in life. I do not use alcohol, street drugs, never sold, traded or gave my medications to anyone. I’ve always passed my urine/blood screenings, always have had my count at the correct amount. I have multiple serious health problems with medical evidence to back up what I’m saying so I should not have to suffer from what others have or are causing. Any doctor that’s prescribing pain medication to patients such as myself should be able to have the freedom to prescribe any mg of medication that’s right for that particular patient without worrying about loosing their license. If a doctor is freely prescribing pain meds to patients that haven’t shown through medical records to have chronic pain step in to assist in those situations where it will not harm and hurt those of us out here suffering. Us chronic pain patients without any violations dealing with our pain medications need to go testify to the state we get our care in Medical Board as our voice needs to be heard. I could go on and on with my feelings on all these matters but bottom line is its time we ban TOGETHER TO HAVE OUR VOICES HEARD AS WELL AS THOSE PHYSICIANS WISHING THEY COULD HELP US TO HAVE SOMEWHAT A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE.

Happened to me no misuse of opioids but my doctor refuses to prescribe them . He has been my doctor and prescribed for opiates to me for over 10 years. The government set up pain clinics and asked us to taper off. Then to save money they asked the chief medical people to tell doctors to stop prescribing or else will stop you prescribing opiates all together which basically puts a doctor out to pasture. My only option now is methadone a even harder drug to get off. Crazy nine orthopaedic surgeons agree I have a permanent back injury 4 were from the insurance company. They still have refused to operate but say be careful and don’t lift anymore. This is nuts

I was put on Morphine 15 mg SR to be taken three times daily. I have done this for 14 years.
I thought it was ok because I had a prescription. I figured my Dr thought of every situation possible in terms of side effects.
I experienced too many side effects, especially with having asthma. I had skin rashes and just no life. My depression and anxiety got much worse.
I asked my Dr to get me off. Now in my third month, I think the taper is way too fast. She has not been very helpful in this wonderful withdraw process.
Like the article stated, some patients are being taken off in fear of the opioid problem.
If a Dr put me on this med, and I took it and will take responsibility.
However, if you reduce my dose, I am sick everyday, then you need to help me.
My help would be to allow my situation, reaction to the taper, and how I am feeling,to be used as information. This info would allow
for a safe, well adjusted taper. Hopefully so I can rid myself of this misery. GOD HELP US ALL……….

I am 68 years old and I have been on Dilaudid for 25 years I cannot make the transition they are killing me I have had a steady job for the past 18 years and I’m about to lose it from missing work and not being able to do my duties I am constantly sick and in pain and can’t think straight but they continue to cut my medication and push buprenorphine on me. That can help with withdrawal but it doesn’t do much for the pain I guess at my age I have no options other than street drugs I really don’t want to go that way if I lose my job I lose my home and my automobile and can’t take care of my family I’m just sick over it there seems to be no help out there all the testing on different medications that are non opiate have caused me nothing but health issues being I am in not very good health to begin with at almost 70 years old I feel options. Thank you for the opportunity to speak.

I have 9diseases I was on pain meds for over ten years.i have taken hydrocodone fentanyl and morphine at various times.familyembers encouraged me or pushed me to stop them if we moved or needed a new doctor,that we didn’t have to deal with opiods. My pain meds were fentanyl 100.i was told I was an addict by family and should get off of them after 3 years.i tried cold turkey.not recommended. I tried going off on one plan didn’t work.i finally caved yet still in severe pain and migraines.i almost died 3times now this last one took it’s toll mentally and physically.i bled out internally from an ulcer on a major artery that I was told was constipation I lived with that for 1month or more leading up to it even going on a cruise.when I got back all shit hit the fan. I was on morphine there. I went on Fentanyl after.i got tired of remembering the times I have to take my meds I was on 250morphine units then to 150 morphine units.it was tolerable but starting withdrawal. Then the next great idea was to drop me to 1 hydrocodone every 7hours for7days and then nothing.so basically I went from 250morphine units to 150 to25 in the course of a week.after I tried to get something as I can’t take nsaida due to ulcer and bleeding disorders,I wasn’t in my right mind and my Dr told me I was being a maniac,when are you moving and where’s your husband.after convincing him I needed a prior authorization he was reluctant
My Ms and everything me to have makes me have cognitive issues.i would often mess up a patch now and then frustrating my husband. That is why I threw it in. I am on 1 hydrocodone every 6hours and it only barely touches the surface. My neurologist wants me to take cymbalta I am pretty sure it won’t work now I am suffering and my depression and thoughts of suicide are at an all time high.my husband approached my Dr telling him he totally screwed the pooch the way he did it , brought documents from mayo clinic and the fentanyl companies. I wanted to sue. My husband didn’t think it was worth it.i don’t think people realize that most people who do street drugs have something in their life they wanted to escape and don’t care if they die.i did watch this on ted.from my experience,if I’m in constant pain I may actually kill myself because of the torture and depression.jut to have what quality of life.so tell me just cause a few celebrities end up dead a d Chuck schumer is pushing the cabosh on pain meds did they think that that is going to stop people from overdosing?one of my near deaths was a Drs error on overdosing me if 4800mg of calcium a day with .2micrograms of rocaltrol,but,that is ok.she was the head of the endocrine department.btw calcium of just as bad as drug if not worse.so what I am getting at is,you are trying to stop people from over using and drug abuse before learning why people need it.i don’t use it to dull my depression but the pain adds to it and quality of life and feeling like a productive member of society and family.taking away pain meds from people who need to help isn’t the way to do it.making physicians learn how to help again and care about their patients instead of just wanting money and avoid the ramifications. I could honestly tell you me killing myself wouldn’t phase them one bit ,but if I overdose they would.thank you for listening. Sarah,42

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